The 2025 season saw Virginia softball repeat much of its 2024 season. The Cavaliers (38-19, 14-10 ACC) broke team and individual offensive records, won a game in the ACC Championship and made the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year.
However, a strong regular season ended in another early NCAA Tournament exit as Virginia was eliminated in the Regional by North Florida, a lower seed making its first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
So what comes next for Virginia? How do the Cavaliers move past simply making the playoffs and vie for a championship title? Four Cavalier Daily softball beat writers dive into Virginia’s season and set expectations for 2026.
What went wrong in the postseason, and what does Virginia need to address?
Emory Huffman, Senior Associate: Virginia certainly could have played better on all fronts, but sometimes you just run into a team with momentum. North Florida was making its first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. After a confidence-boosting win over Virginia in game one, the Ospreys lost to No. 8 South Carolina 3-0, a slim margin for a matchup between an SEC powerhouse and a Tournament newcomer. North Florida simply played better softball at the right time, and the Cavaliers suffered the consequences.
Victoria Blankenship, Senior Writer: Virginia faced superior teams in the postseason. The Cavaliers played well in the ACC, but they did not face teams that prepared them for the intensity of tournament play. When facing the best of the best in the postseason, it is important to learn how to adapt — something Virginia failed to do in the NCAA Regional, as the Cavaliers suffered from flat hitting and late pitching collapses..
Cierra Lyles, Staff Writer: Giving up early leads — a problem the Cavaliers have had all year. Virginia was up 5-1 against North Florida going into the bottom of the sixth inning when they collapsed. A lot of this has to do with the bullpen giving up hits, throwing wild pitches and issuing walks at high rates. Going into next season, it's important that the Cavaliers emphasize minimizing defensive mistakes while playing under pressure. This postseason, it seemed like the moment was too big for them.
Ben McNiff, Staff Writer: Both losses North Florida dealt to Virginia were by one run, an issue which has plagued the Cavaliers. Eleven of 19 losses this season were by a single run, and they only won seven of their 18 games with a one-run differential. As mentioned before, the culprit for many of these close losses was late blown leads — the story of both games against North Florida. There is a lot to improve, but bullpen depth in particular should be a priority heading into 2026.
Who was Virginia’s most valuable player this season?
EH: Junior pitcher Eden Bigham, no question. Pitching is a valuable commodity — no team can have too many quality pitchers. Even as others stepped up behind her, no pitcher matched Bigham’s volume and consistency. She threw 146.1 innings, the most on the team by a massive margin. Somehow, she did so while maintaining a 2.34 ERA, also the best on the team.
VB: Junior utility player M.C Eaton was truly impressive this season and showed up as a leader on the field. After pushing through some injuries during her freshman and sophomore year, she showed what she is truly capable of this season. With 10 home runs, 56 games played and a slugging percentage of .542, Eaton consistently showed up and showed out.
CL: It's hard not to say junior infielder Jade Hylton — she’s a Second Team All-American for a reason. At a .362 batting average, .802 slugging percentage, .958 fielding percentage, 52 RBIs and 19 home runs, she was unstoppable. Hylton kept the Cavaliers in a lot of games but most importantly, she brought recognition to the program. Breaking records and earning national honors shows the collegiate softball world that Virginia softball is the real deal.
BM: I want to highlight the consistency of sophomore infielder Macee Eaton. Compare her slugging percentage in away and home games to that of Hylton and sophomore infielder Bella Cabral. Those two saw .515 and .274 declines, respectively, while Eaton’s only declined by .073. She led the team in away slugging percentage and tied Hylton for most home runs on the road. She also led the team in RBIs overall with 63, eleven more than Hylton’s 52. In a year with significant road struggles for the Cavaliers, Eaton was a bright spot.
What should fans expect from the Cavaliers in 2026?
EH: Fans can expect a continued upward trajectory. Virginia will lose a large chunk of its lineup, but keeping nearly all of the pitching staff — particularly rising senior pitchers Eden Bigham and Courtney Layne — gives the Cavaliers some continuity entering 2026. The lineup is unproven but talented. Most importantly, Virginia gets one more season out of Hylton, the team’s most productive hitter and a leader in the clubhouse. The pieces are in place for another tournament bid as long as the youngsters rise to the challenge.
VB: Realistically, Virginia might face some struggles next season despite returning talent. While the Cavalier freshmen were ranked and highly regarded in high school, they did not play in many regular season contests. This could lead to some offensive issues as key seniors like outfielder Kailyn Jones and outfielder Kelly Ayer graduate. However, the solid pitching team shows serious promise, and key hitters like Cabral and Hylton will be around for another year.
CL: The same as 2025, if not worse. The Cavaliers are losing several impact seniors, including Kelly Ayer, Sydney Hartgrove and Kailyn Jones — not to mention fifth-year pitcher Savanah Henley. This year's freshmen rarely saw the field, and when they did, it was in low-pressure situations unlike the realities of most games. Virginia will need a strong Class of 2029 to quickly make up for a significant loss of production — otherwise, the Cavaliers will struggle in 2026.
BM: In many ways, it feels like this year was their shot. The graduating seniors made up 43% of Virginia’s hits in 2025. It’s going to be tough to fill that production hole, especially the lack of underclassmen experience on the roster — besides Macee Eaton and Cabral, freshmen and sophomores only had 15 hits total. The Cavaliers will need surprise contributors to rise to the occasion.
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