After decades of mediocre performance, Virginia has finally found a winning formula, stringing together two consecutive winning seasons. The Cavaliers are 14-10 in ACC play, one game worse than their 15-9 performance in 2024 but good enough for seventh in a strong conference.
Last season, the postseason ended unceremoniously for Virginia — a first-round exit in the ACC Tournament sent them into NCAA Regionals on the wrong foot, where they suffered two shutout losses at the hands of then-No. 3 Tennessee. The Cavaliers picked up two wins over Miami (Ohio) but stood no chance against the powerhouse Volunteers.
With the postseason just over the horizon, do the Cavaliers stand a better chance against similar SEC incumbents in 2025? Three beat writers discuss expectations for Virginia and assess its season so far.
Will the Cavaliers perform better in this year’s postseason than they did in 2024?
Emory Huffman, Senior Associate: Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like an improved postseason performance is in the cards. Virginia will likely not host an NCAA Regional — the severity of the talent gap in college softball will almost certainly pit the Cavaliers against a vastly superior No. 1 seed. Virginia has shown potential in wins over ranked opponents, but inconsistent offensive output and shoddy defense will come back to bite them in a regional where they will likely have to win two games against the top seed.
Cierra Lyles, Staff Writer: This team has the potential to wreak havoc in the postseason. Every starter has now been with the Cavaliers for at least two years, creating a more seasoned and cohesive lineup than last season’s squad. Virginia has shown its experience in walk-off and comeback wins this season, battling back and winning tough games. The ACC Tournament will not be easy, especially with No. 17 Stanford now in the mix, but if this season has proven anything, it’s that Virginia has the moxie to make a run in the postseason.
Ben McNiff, Staff Writer: Yes. This is a much more explosive offensive team than last year that has shown an ability to play up to their competition that it lacked in 2024. The ACC Tournament will be a litmus test for Virginia’s potential in the NCAA Tournament — last year, the Cavaliers were a quick out, losing 8-1 to Clemson in their first game. Their conference record is only a game worse this year and they’re coming off of a very competitive road series against No. 17 Stanford where they showed they can keep up with tough ACC teams. Don’t forget that Virginia played competitively against multiple SEC teams earlier this season as well.
What needs to improve for a deep playoff run?
EH: The lineup needs to deliver in spades. Virginia’s offense is peppered with strong individual performers — sophomore infielder Bella Cabral and junior infielder Jade Hylton come to mind — but its cumulative batting average is just .312, eighth-best in the ACC. It’s impossible to encapsulate the performance of the lineup in one statistic, but you can be sure that the opponents standing in the Cavaliers’ path in the playoffs will be hitting better than .312. Virginia needs an offensive explosion to make a run.
CL: The offense needs to take advantage of opportunities more consistently — the Cavaliers cannot wait until the fourth or fifth inning to get runs on the board, or score in the first inning but not again until the sixth. For example, in its regular season finale against Liberty, Virginia waited until the bottom of the fourth inning for the bats to come alive and take the lead. Although the Cavaliers ended up winning, silent bats for the first three innings won’t cut it against the big-name opponents they will face in the NCAA Tournament. Teams like No. 4 Texas A&M or No. 7 Florida will not crumble as easily and will take advantage of a poor offensive performance — the Cavaliers must score early and often.
BM: This team has to improve its play on the road. Fourteen of Virginia’s losses have come in away or neutral site games, which presents an issue for the postseason — the ACC Tournament will be hosted by Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass. They’ve shown enough flashes, though — they handed No. 9 Florida State their only home loss of the season last month. Early in the season, they emerged from the Clearwater Invitational with wins over then-No. 23 Kentucky and then-No. 4 UCLA. The Cavaliers can win away from Palmer Park, but doing so consistently will be essential for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
How would you grade softball’s season so far?
EH: B+. It’s tough to critique a team that has potentially equaled its greatest season in program history, but there is too much room for improvement. This team left opportunities on the table — Virginia won a few games early in the season against ranked opponents, but the Cavaliers also dropped all three series against ranked ACC opponents, a barrier that separates Virginia from the elite teams in the conference. Of course, a strong postseason run erases all of that — for now, though, it's a B+ season for the Cavaliers.
CL: Even after one of its best seasons to date, Virginia receives an A- from me. Don’t get me wrong, this team has seen a lot of success, especially thanks to standout seasons from several players — generally, though, there is still so much to work on. Like Ben mentioned earlier, Virginia struggles to win on the road and struggles even more to finish each series. The Cavaliers have had many chances to win a series in game three this season where they failed to do so — as a result, they get an A-. The further Virginia goes in the postseason, the better that grade will get.
BM: Seeing as this has been one of the best seasons in program history, you have to give this year an A. Last year was quite successful — the team made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010 — but this season, so far, has been even more impressive. The Cavaliers have broken team records for most home runs and most RBIs in a single season. They’re on track to improve upon their overall record by multiple games. If they can surpass 2024’s performance in the ACC Championships and make it past NCAA Regionals, then that A turns into an A+.
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