Sophomore infielder Alex Call’s teammates saw her potential early — senior infielder Jade Hylton entered 2026 having already shared a dugout with Call for her freshman year in 2025, and then subsequently for this year’s Blue-Orange intrasquad scrimmage series, where the two competed on the same side.
“Watching Alex in the fall, she was one of our Blue-Orange captains, so we know she's got the talent there,” Hylton said. “Seeing everything come to fruition for her has been awesome. She's a young kid, and didn't get a lot of experience last year, so watching her just go out and ball out, do her thing this year has been great. I'm so proud of her.”
Call arrived in Charlottesville having already been a major contributor elsewhere — in her career at Parrish Community High School in the greater Bradenton, Fla. area, she saw reps all over the infield.
Her versatility proved pivotal in helping the Bulls win two consecutive state titles, a feat made all the more impressive by the fact that Call’s senior class was only the third in PCHS’s history since the school began operations in 2019. She also won Offensive Player of the Year awards as both a freshman and sophomore, and graduated as the No. 12 ranked general infielder in the country by Extra Inning Softball.
By her own evaluation, Call had a frustrating beginning to the season — Hardin noted how the sophomore “can be her own worst enemy,” but has learned to handle tough stretches better as the year has progressed.
“Alex is very tough on herself, as a thinker,” Hardin said. “She's super intelligent. She is a high achiever. She is U.Va. to the core … Her capacity to recover from failure has amplified significantly this year … She's able to take the game less seriously and not in a flippant way, in a ‘I'm-going-to-rebound-and-get-the-next-one way.’ That's where she's grown so much.”
Hardin’s description of Call as a thinker is apt — the sophomore has declared as a Politics major in the College of Arts and Sciences and has law school aspirations. The observation of her improved ability to recover from failure, is also right on the money.
At first, Call did fail a lot — she began her second season with only three hits in her first 20 at-bats. Her talent, though, was undeniable — Call managed to go deep early and often, homering twice in the first tournament of the season and earning opportunity after opportunity by showing, as Hardin observed, a consistent drive to learn from tough stretches.
The sophomore has since recovered plenty from the slow start. Call has now collected 26 RBIs, good for the top five on the team — she credits her success to her coaches’ trust and patience.
“I definitely felt like I had a really good fall,” Call said. “Been a little rocky this year, especially to start, but I'm so grateful to my coaches for having faith in me ... I just feel like I've just connected it all and it's all coming together … I can't give enough praise to Coach Jo for her confidence in me.”
She has also improved in the field while starting the majority of her games at, in Hardin’s evaluation, “the toughest position on the infield” at second base. Virginia’s cut and relay defensive system requires the sophomore, as well as Hylton at shortstop, to cover and be aware of most of the infield.
After committing five errors during nonconference play in the first month of the season, Call has only committed two errors through seven ACC series. Additionally, Call has logged three games with four or more assisted outs since conference play began. Call’s ascendance as a reliable infielder came in handy when injuries befell the Cavaliers, inflicting a five-game absence on junior infielder Bella Cabral and leaving a hole at third base.
Call, alongside freshman infielder Hannah Tober, needed to step up in the junior’s stead. The sophomore was more than willing to answer the call.
“I'm used to seeing the ball from a little bit of a different angle,” Call said. “Always happy to be on the field, though. It doesn't matter where I'm at, just getting the opportunity to play, it makes me ecstatic. I'm just so happy to be out there and playing with my teammates. Sure, it's a little different, but overall, fielding the ball is fielding the ball.”
Injuries contributed to a rough stretch for the Cavaliers — in April, the team dropped three consecutive conference series, including two sweeps courtesy No. 12 Duke and No. 23 Clemson. They slipped from a projected bye in the conference tournament to seventh place.
The Cavaliers found themselves in smaller ruts earlier in the season — each instance, they have managed to pull themselves out. Just a month ago, Virginia trailed one run behind Liberty at Palmer Park on a windy Wednesday night, with only two hits entering the sixth inning. However, a walk and a third hit set the table for the Cavaliers’ fourth hit of the affair — an RBI single from Call to tie the game. After the eventual victory, she spoke to the mutual trust and resiliency of her Virginia teammates and coaches.
“We have faith in our teammates and … faith in our coaching staff,” Call said postgame. “Knowing that even if things aren't going our way in the beginning, that we can get it done when it matters. You know, it's just selfless, team, winning softball. It's what we preach here at U.Va. And I'm just really happy to have been able to help the team there.”
Call’s words from the Liberty postgame rang true in Virginia’s most recent conference series against NC State this past weekend, where the Cavaliers clinched their first ACC series victory in a month with a run-rule win. Headlining the affair was a no-hitter from freshman pitcher Taylor Smith, but Call made her own contribution to the triumph.
The home run, which rocketed off the sophomore’s bat in the bottom of the third, broke her seven-game streak of zero RBIs in spectacular fashion — it was her first career grand slam, putting the game far out of reach for the visitors. Call followed that milestone up with a multi-RBI performance in the third game of the weekend to help clinch a sweep of the series. She also contributed a few head-turning plays in the infield at both second and third base across the series, including an incredible snag in the fifth inning of the final game.
“It's a lot on her to play a really tough position,” Hardin said. “I think she's gotten comfortable with the system, and then comfortable with her play … It's just a joy to see her smiling and enjoying [herself].”
Following a road victory over Liberty, Virginia has now won four consecutive games. April was a tough month for Virginia, but the resilience of this program, exemplified through Call, leaves plenty of hope in a return to form for a team which started the regular season jockeying for first place in the ACC.
Perhaps the Cavaliers are not done riding just yet — with six RBIs, a grand slam, a double and some electric infield play, Alex Call is certainly not done yet either.
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