Virginia Cavaliers softball

Virginia Cavaliers softball
2025 Virginia Cavaliers softball team
Founded	1980
University	University of Virginia
Athletic director	Carla Williams
Head coach	Joanna Hardin (3rd season)
Conference	ACC
Location	Charlottesville, Virginia
Home stadium	Palmer Park
Nickname	Cavaliers
Colors	Orange and blue [1]
NCAA Tournament appearances
2010, 2024, 2025
Conference Tournament championships
1994

The Virginia Cavaliers softball team represents University of Virginia in NCAA Division I college softball. The team participates in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Cavaliers are currently led by head coach Joanna Hardin. The team plays its home games at Palmer Park located on the university's Charlottesville campus. ^{[2] [3]}

History

Virginia has played softball continuously since 1980, beginning NCAA play in 1982 when the organization began sponsoring the sport. ^[4] The Cavaliers currently play their home games at Palmer Park, an on-campus stadium that opened in 2020. ^[5]

The Cavaliers have been members of the Atlantic Coast Conference through their softball history, winning the 1994 ACC Tournament. They have qualified for the NCAA tournament three in program history, most recently in 2025.

Virginia has been led by head coach Joanna Hardin since 2017.

NCAA Tournament Appearances

The Cavaliers have qualified for the NCAA tournament three times, most recently in 2025. ^[6]

Year	Record	Pct	Notes
2010	1–2	.333	Knoxville Regional
2024	2–2	.500	Knoxville Regional
2025	0-0	–	Columbia Regional
TOTALS	3–4	.429

Championships

Conference Tournament Championships

Year	Conference	Tournament Location	Head coach
1994	Atlantic Coast Conference	Tallahassee, FL	Peggy Kellers

Coaching History

Current Coaching Staff

Name	Position coached	Consecutive season at Virginia in current position
Joanna Hardin	Head coach	8th
Jeff Tylka	Associate Head Coach	1st
Jamie Allred	Assistant coach	1st
Bella Norton	Assistant coach	2nd
Benjamin Sewell	Director of Operations	1st
Reference: [7]

Previous Head Coaches

Years	Coach	Record	%
1980–1981	Mika Long	47–33	.588
1982–1983	C.L. Ermini	41–30	.577
1984–1986	Sue Ross	81–80	.503
1987–1992	Terry DeTuro	184–102–1	.643
1993–1997	Peggy Kellers	124–96	.564
1998–2005	Cheryl Sprangel	303–215	.585
2006–2007	Karen Johns	46–65	.414
2008–2013	Eileen Schmidt	145–168	.463
2014–2016	Blake Miller	42–116	.266
2017–present	Joanna Hardin	173–217	.444

^[8]

Awards and honors

Retired numbers

Sources: ^[9]

No.	Player	Position	Career	Year retired
21	Kristen Dennis	P	1999-2002	2005
22	Lisa Palmer	P	1986–1989	1990

Conference Awards and Honors

Sources: ^[9]

ACC Player of the Year

• Eileen Schmidt, 1993
• Kristen Dennis, 2002
• Sara Larquier, 2005

ACC Freshman of the Year

• Kristen Dennis, 1999
• Ruby Rojas, 2000

References

1. "Athletics Color Palette". University of Virginia Consumer Product Brand Standards (PDF). Retrieved January 16, 2023.
2. "The Park". VirginiaSports.com. UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA ATHLETICS. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
3. "Palmer Park". virginiasports.com. University of Virginia Athletics. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
4. "DI Softball Championship History". NCAA.com. Turner Sports Network. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
5. "Palmer Park". June 2020.
6. "Hoos Earn NCAA Bid as Two Seed in Knoxville Regional". May 12, 2024.
7. "Softball".
8. "Virginia Softball History Coaching Records" (PDF). Static.VirginiaSports.com. UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA ATHLETICS. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
9. "Virginia Softball Honors & Awards and Retired Numbers" (PDF). VirginiaSports.com. UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA ATHLETICS. Retrieved May 17, 2019.