Opportunity is a word many throw around when referring to college athletics. It's your shot, your chance to make a name for yourself, a name for the school you wear across your chest. As an athlete, you never know when that opportunity might arise — you just know that you must seize it when it does.
For infielder Jade Hylton, a Class of 2026 alumna, that opportunity came at the beginning of her collegiate career, starting at second base as a freshman. Now at the end, it is clear that she has taken advantage of it — it is clear that she wore the blue and orange Virginia letters proudly.
When Hylton arrived in Charlottesville, she was joining a program sight unseen due to the pandemic. She was also buying into Coach Joanna Hardin’s ambitious vision that was yet to come to fruition — building a consistent, winning and nationally competitive program.
In the season prior to her arrival, the Cavaliers went 28-26, 13-11 in the ACC. Granted, the team did technically have a “winning” season, but it was nowhere near the level of success Hardin wanted to have. So, going into the 2022-2023 season, Virginia needed a shakeup and Hylton provided just that.
“Coming in, [I was] kind of committing to a program that didn't have much going for it,” Hylton said before last season’s ACC Tournament at Palmer Park. “At the time, we knew we had a new facility, but we [also] knew the potential and the talent that we had, and just being able to see the combination of all of our hard work through the past four years has really been a blessing.”
Although freshmen are rarely expected to play a huge role on a team, Hylton still managed to make a serious impact during her first season. The ACC All-Freshman honoree had a batting average of .314 — tying the team lead with 10 home runs — and also led the team with 26 RBIs and 15 multiple-hit games. Hylton scored 33 runs, the most of any player on the roster, and went 22-25 in stolen base attempts. Needless to say, Hylton played like a veteran.
This expert-like play was Hylton’s modus operandi, consistency becoming synonymous with her name. And over her next few years, she just kept setting the bar higher and higher. Whether it was launching a go-ahead home run, making a difficult defensive play look routine or delivering in a pressure-filled moment, Hylton became the kind of player that her teammates relied on and opponents feared.
After earning All-ACC honors her sophomore season, Hylton elevated her game to another level — she began to rewrite the Virginia record book. In April of 2025, Hylton stepped up to the plate, breaking the Cavaliers’ all-time single season home run record with one swing of the bat. Her 19 home runs on the season passed former infielder Lacy Smith’s 15-homer mark set in 2019. She also claimed the career home run record, held by former Cavalier infielder Sara Larquier for nearly two decades at 35 — by the season’s finish, Hylton had 41 home runs. Her 64 runs scored in 2025 also set a new single-season scoring record.
“It's an honor to be able to come up and set a new record,” Hylton said after the fact. “You know, a lot of people have provided me this opportunity, and it's been a blessing, so I'm just very grateful.”
As dominant as her junior campaign was, she somehow found another gear during her senior season. In April, against rival No. 13 Virginia Tech, Hylton broke the career scoring record.
The list of accolades go on and on for Hylton, but the statistics do not tell the whole story.
Sure, years from now when someone opens the Virginia softball record book they will see her name scattered throughout its pages. They can read old articles about her triumphs and watch highlights of her SportsCenter-worthy plays, but what they will not see is the player behind those moments.
From the outside, it would have been easy for Hylton to make her career about individual success. After all, she had every reason to. Yet time and time again, she chose to shift the spotlight elsewhere. In post-game interviews she would constantly turn the attention back to her team and how uplifting they were. When she had just broken a school record, she accredited all success to her coaches and support system.
“I got to give credit to my coaches and teammates. I wouldn’t be here without them,” Hylton said after breaking the single-season home run record. “I can’t really give myself too much credit … I got to give credit to my teammates where credit is due because they do a lot.”
Over the past four years, Hylton has embodied Coach Hardin’s drive to build a program that can compete with anyone in the country. In her final season, the Cavaliers went 40-15, 13-10 in the ACC, with their season ending just shy of a Super Regional. Because of Jade Hylton, making noise in the postseason is no longer a hope for Virginia — it's the standard.
That transformation was not accomplished by one player alone, but it is impossible to tell the story without Hylton at its center — that is what her legacy will be.
Hylton will forever be one of the best players to put on a Virginia uniform. She helped raise expectations. She helped build a winning culture. She helped the Cavaliers step into the national spotlight. She helped the Cavaliers become the team it is today, leaving it much better than when she found it — she seized her opportunity. On behalf of Virginia fans everywhere, thank you, Jade Hylton.
Read More
Trevor Dunbar named interim head coach for Virginia track and field and cross country
By Emory Huffman | YesterdayFormer associate head coach Trevor Dunbar will take the reins of Virginia’s track and field and cross country programs, as announced Friday by Director of Athletics Carla Willliams.
Virginia men’s golf has authored a profound case study in legacy building
By Sofie Keppler | July 25, 2026The 2026 exit hardly captures how the Cavaliers’ leading pack — Ben James, Bryan Lee and Paul Chang — spearheaded some of Virginia’s most celebrated golf in years.
Five Cavaliers drafted in 2026 MLB Draft, including one first-round selection
By Ryan Weiner | July 15, 2026Five players from the 2026 Virginia squad were drafted. From the first round all the way to the 14th round, here is how each Cavalier fared this year at the MLB draft.
