Superlative Class Sets Standard at Palmer Park

By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — They arrived on Grounds in the summer of 2022, five Virginians who had opted to stay home to play college softball. From Appomattox came Kelsey Hackett and Courtney Layne. Kassidy Hudson grew up in Chesapeake. Eden Bigham is from Rustburg, and Jade Hylton’s hometown is Martinsville.

Their head coach at the University of Virginia, Joanna Hardin, calls them the Faithful Five. In this era of player movement, when transfers are increasingly common, the class remains intact, and that’s one of the primary reasons the Cavaliers will play in the NCAA tournament for the third straight year.

The seniors make up the winningest class in program history. The Wahoos finished 30-22 overall in 2023, 34-20 in ’24 and 38-19 last season. With one regular-season game left—they play Liberty at 5 p.m. Tuesday in Lynchburg—the Hoos are 36-12.

“They just elevated the program the moment they walked on Grounds, so I'm super indebted to them,” Hardin said. “I'm very grateful for their belief in the vision of what UVA softball could be, because when they were growing up, this wasn't a destination. It really wasn't, and it wasn't on their radar. So it takes a class, a few people in a class, to really take a risk. I know there were a lot of questions as to why they would do that when they were going through the recruiting process. But this is why they decided to come here, because they wanted to do what they did.”

Hylton, an All-ACC shortstop, said she and her classmates expected to have such an impact. “We knew each other, we'd played each other in travel ball forever, coming from the same local areas, so I think we knew the potential we had and knew the impact that we could give this program, and luckily we were fortunate enough to do it.”

The fourth-years’ college journeys have been different. Hylton and Bigham became fixtures in the Wahoos’ lineup as freshmen. It took Hackett, Layne and Hudson longer to move into prominent roles, but all five have been instrumental in UVA’s success this season.

No. 23 Virginia wrapped up its final ACC regular-season series Sunday at Palmer Park. Hylton started at short, Hackett in left field, Hudson in right field and Bigham in the circle. Layne took over for Bigham after the third inning and went the rest of the way as UVA capped its three-game sweep of NC State with a 7-4 win.

“Just awesome,” Hardin said. “That doesn't always happen in life. It doesn't always happen that your seniors are all contributing on Senior Day, or the senior weekend, so it is a gift.”

Sophomore second baseman Alex Call had two of UVA’s seven hits Sunday.

“You always want to send your seniors out with a special win,” Call said. “It was great to get to see all of them play today, and we were just so happy to have them with us and so grateful for everything that they've done for this program.”

Hylton, who holds the program record for career home runs, led off the bottom of the first with a blast over the center-field fence, and that put the Cavaliers (13-10 ACC) ahead to stay.

“I was just trying to come out here and be where my feet are on a day that's pretty emotional,” Hylton said. “That was a good start and kind of got our offense rolling. So, a good moment. Definitely one I'll remember for a long time.”

Junior Bella Cabral hit a two-run homer later in the first to make it 3-0, and the Hoos’ lead grew to 5-0 by the end of the inning.

The Wolfpack (25-23, 6-14) rallied for two runs in the third and two more in the sixth, but junior Macee Eaton’s RBI double in the bottom of the sixth pushed Virginia’s lead to 7-4, and Layne, a left-hander, retired NC State in order in the top of the seventh.

“Eden started [well], and then I was able to close it,” Layne said, “so just a full-circle moment.”

Jade Hylton starting off Senior Day with a BANG 💣

📺 ACCNX#GoHoos | #4for40 | #PeopleMakeThePlace pic.twitter.com/uGpN85dmvZ

— Virginia Softball (@UVASoftball) April 26, 2026

The Senior Day ceremony that followed the game featured videos from each of the five players. It concluded with a video tribute from Hardin, who’s in her 10^th year at Virginia.

Hardin praised Bigham and Hylton for setting a “standard early for what it looks like to compete, to be prepared, and to show up for your team. You've navigated pressures early in your career and fought through adversity very publicly and with a ton of grace.”

The college careers of Hackett, Layne and Hudson unfolded differently, but “you worked and fought to earn every inning and every opportunity,” Hardin told them, “and what makes your story so powerful is that you never wavered. You stayed patient, you stayed committed, and now as seniors you've become exactly the players and the people that this program is built upon.

“At a time in college athletics where it's easy to look around and think, ‘Is this really fair? Should I go somewhere else to get what I want?’ you five chose something harder. You chose to stay and to build and to believe. You helped take this program from the bottom of the ACC to one that expects to compete at the top, year in and year out ... But the truth is, that's not what makes you really special. What makes you special is who you are when no one's watching. It’s the humility you bring, the way that you work, the way you love people, and the way you serve this community, the steadiness you've shown through adversity. It’s never been about you. You've never made it about you. You've always made it about us. And that's why this program is different, because you were here.”

Harden closed by telling the seniors: “I want you all to know how deeply grateful I am. Grateful that I've gotten to coach the five of you for four years. Grateful that I've gotten to watch you grow. Grateful for the way you've trusted me, challenged me, and helped shape this program into what it is today. And the best part is, we're not done yet. This weekend is a celebration, it's not an ending. We still have more to chase, more to accomplish, and more moments to create together.”

For the first time, UVA is hosting the ACC softball tournament. It begins May 6 and runs through May 9 at Palmer Park. The Cavaliers are in sixth place in the ACC standings and have clinched one of the 12 spots in the conference tournament.

“It’s like a story written in itself,” Hylton said. “I'm so excited just being able to play in front of this community with my team in the stadium that I've been working in for four years. It's just a joy, and I'm really excited and looking forward to it.”

This has been the most challenging month of the season for the Cavaliers, who also played ACC series against Duke, Virginia Tech and Clemson, all three of which are nationally ranked. UVA snapped a six-game losing streak Friday with a 3-1 win over the Wolfpack and then followed that with a run-rule win Saturday.

“it was a tough stretch, for sure,” Layne said. “But we learned just to stick with each other, and we knew we were still putting in the work and the effort behind the scenes. So we knew if we just kept pushing, it was going to fall our way eventually, and it did this weekend, so I'm super proud.”

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