CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 23 Virginia softball team (38-13) earned its third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth on Sunday (May 10) and will play in the Knoxville Regional it was announced during the NCAA Selection Show on ESPN2.
REGIONALS BOUND 📍
— The ACC (@theACC) May 10, 2026
The Wahoos punch their ticket to the @NCAASoftball Tournament! pic.twitter.com/v6NAYnNV7M
The Cavaliers face Indiana (42-14) in the first game of the day. The Cavaliers are the seven seed in the quadrant and second-seeded team in the regional, while host Tennessee is the No. 7 seed in the tournament.
The winner of the Knoxville Regional will advance to face the winner of the Athens Regional hosted by Georgia. Teams participating in the Athens Regional include: Georgia, Clemson, College of Charleston and UNCG.
KNOXVILLE REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, May 15
Game 1: Tennessee vs. Northern Kentucky, 5:30 p.m. ET – SEC Network
Game 2: Virginia vs. Indiana, 8 p.m. ET – ESPN2
Saturday, May 16
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, TBD
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, TBD
Game 5: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3, TBD
Sunday, May 17
Game 6: Winner Game 3. Vs Winner Game 5, TBD
Game 7: If Necessary, TBD
NOTING THE HOOS
- UVA’s third straight NCAA Tournament berth is the fourth in program history as Virginia was selected to the tournament in 2010, 2024, 2025 and now 2026.
- The Cavaliers played in the NCAA Knoxville Regional in the 2024 season, going 2-2 and advancing to the Regional Championship game before being eliminated by the host Tennessee Lady Vols.
- Virginia posted 37 regular-season wins for the first time since 2004 and the Cavaliers hit the 38-win mark for the second consecutive season with the victory over Pitt in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
- Three Cavaliers earned All-ACC honors this season with 1B Macee Eaton taking first team honors, while 3B Bella Cabral and RHP Julia Cuozzo were third-team selections
FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“We’re so grateful to have the opportunity to compete this weekend. We don’t take for granted how difficult it is to be in this field of 64 and the job the selection committee has to do. I’m grateful our body of work and season was recognized. We’re comfortable in Knoxville and have played there a lot in recent years (for NCAA Tournament and early season tournaments). We’re comfortable with the field and facilities. We’re grateful our student-athletes get to go there and showcase their skills and extend their season. We’re thankful we get to play another weekend together and we’re going to do everything we can to extend our season and stay together as long as possible.”