2024-05-09 00:06:16
The 2023-2024 regular season campaign for the Virginia Cavaliers softball team ended up being much more impressive than outsiders initially predicted. The Hoos were slated to finish ninth out of 13 ACC teams, but instead finished fourth with a 32-17 record and a 15-9 record in the ACC, good for the team’s highest finish since 2010.
While the conference and non-conference schedules still had some bumps, the Hoos won seven out of eight ACC series, including huge wins against Clemson and Duke, who were ranked eleventh and third at the time.
Clemson will get a rematch with Virginia in the quarterfinals of the 2024 ACC Softball Tournament in Durham on Thursday after the Cavaliers beat the Tigers twice in Charlottesville. In the March series that really ignited a run in the ACC, a bases-loaded double from Bella Cabral helped Virginia storm back from a 4-0 deficit to take a 6-4 lead , and the Cavalier work team did the rest. The defense was also impressive in a game three shutout, and Jade Hylton hit a late game home run to secure the 3-0 win.
Madi Harris had a breakout streak in the circle against Clemson, pitching 9.1 innings, earning two wins and not giving up a single run. With that kind of performance, it’s possible that Virginia chooses to give Harris the ball in the ACC quarterfinals, and we can see if she can once again stymie the Clemson offense.
In addition to Madi Harris in the circle, we’ll likely see UVA’s champ Eden Bigham, who is a three-time ACC Pitcher of the Week honor this season and has double the number of innings pitched as the next pitcher (129.1 to 65.2 from Madi Harris). Hylton was named to the All-ACC First Team on Wednesday.
Virginia’s offense struggled to produce runs early in the season, but it has improved significantly since then. Jade Hylton leads the way for Virginia in nearly every offensive category, including average (.342), runs (33), hits (53), doubles (12), home runs (12), on-base percentage (.428), slugging percentage ( .677), OPS (1.105), RBI (37), walks (24) and stolen bases (14). Hylton joined Bigham as Virginia’s two All-ACC First Team selections.
Shelby Barbee has a hot bat after earning Co-ACC Player of the Week honors for her Georgia Tech streak, going 6 for 9 with 7 RBI and three home runs. UVA hopes the week off between games doesn’t disrupt her streak. Another player to watch is freshman Bella Cabral, who has made clutch plays both on offense and at second base throughout the season. Cabral was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team, while Barbee was an All-ACC Third Team selection.
On Clemson’s side, reigning National Player of the Year Valerie Cagle is always a threat in the circle and at the plate. She is hitting .364 with an OPS of 1.057. Teammates McKenzie Clark and Maddie Moore also have OPS stats above 1,000, which is an impressive threshold to cross.
Regan Spencer has pitched the most for Clemson this season, boasting a 2.00 ERA. While Spencer often relies on her defense to get behind her, Cagle and Millie Thompson are two pitchers who rely more on strikeouts. They have ERAs of 2.50 and 1.77, respectively.
Virginia enters the season with 30-win seasons. While Joanna Hardin has steadily improved her team in eight seasons at Virginia, that has yet to translate to postseason play. The Hoos have lost in the ACC quarterfinals each of the last two years, against No. 3 Florida State in 2022 and Syracuse in 2023. The Cavaliers qualified for the National Invitational Softball Championship in 2022 and have one win, but UVA softball postseason history is limited.
In fact, the only time UVA made the NCAA Tournament was in 2010. After receiving one vote in the top 25 poll this week, there’s a good chance Virginia will add its name to the 64-team field will hear on Keur Sunday about the 14 year drought. However, there is work to be done before then, and having a chance to win a conference championship is an important opportunity to seize.
The Cavaliers will face the Clemson Tigers in the ACC quarterfinals in Durham on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. (ACCN) for a chance to advance to the ACC semifinals (Friday at 1 p.m.) against the winner of Duke and Boston College/Syracuse.
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