CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 24 Virginia softball team (38-13) opens NCAA Tournament play at the Knoxville Regional on Friday (May 15) when the Cavaliers take on Indiana (42-14). First pitch is set for 8 p.m. on ESPN2 at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
All games of the Knoxville Regional will be streamed through ESPN.com and the ESPN app. Live stats are also available and linked at VirginiaSports.com. Fans can also get updates by following the program’s official account on X (@UVASoftball).
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 enters the NCAA Tournament after a quarterfinal appearance at the ACC Tournament hosted by the Hoos
- The NCAA berth is the third straight for the Hoos (2024-26) and the fourth overall in program history (2010)
- It’s the third time in four appearances UVA will play in a regional hosted by the Lady Vols (2010, 2024, 2026)
- Indiana will be the fourth Big 10 team faced by the Cavaliers this season as Virginia has already faced Maryland, Michigan and Ohio State and went a combined 6-0 against those teams
- Virginia’s 38 wins matches last season’s win total, while the 37 wins in the regular season was the most by a Cavalier team in the regular season since the 2004 squad posted 38 wins in the regular season
- Senior LHP Courtney Layne enters the NCAA Regional ranked fourth in the ACC in ERA (2.31), leads the ACC in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.36) and walks per 7.0 (1.50), and ranks second in the ACC in WHIP (1.04)
- She helps lead a staff that ranks third in the ACC in ERA (2.69), second in strikeouts per 7.0 (6.88) and WHIP (1.26). The Hoos also lead the ACC in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.20) entering the weekend
- Layne and senior RHP Eden Bigham anchor the staff as the duo have combined for 26 wins, seven saves and 198 strikeouts through 209.2 innings pitched together this season
- Junior 1B Macee Eaton leads the Virginia offense, pacing the team in batting average (.443), RBI (61), slugging percentage (.785) and on base percentage (.508)
- Eaton was one of three Virginia players to earn All-ACC honors this season, taking a place on the first time, while junior 3B Bella Cabral and junior RHP Julia Cuozzo were named to the third team
- With the 2-1 victory over Pitt in the opening-round of the ACC Tournament, the Cavaliers improved to 8-1 in one-run games this season - the only loss coming at No. 23 Duke in game two of the series
THE HOOS VS. INDIANA - Virginia and Indiana have only met three times in program history with the Hoosiers holding a 2-1 lead in the series
- All three previous meetings came at neutral fields with the last meeting coming in the 2019 season at FAU
- Virginia won the first meeting in 1995, but IU won the 2001 meeting and the last meeting in 2019
- This is the first meeting between the teams in the NCAA Tournament and fourth as a neutral-site contest
VIRGINIA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT - UVA is making its fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and third straight with the 2026 appearance
- The Hoos make a third appearance in the Knoxville Regional, having played here in 2010, 2024 and 2026
- Virginia is 4-6 in NCAA Tournament across the previous three appearances, including an appearance in the 2024 Regional Championship game against Tennessee in 2024