Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The No. 23 Virginia softball team earned its third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth on Sunday and will play in the Knoxville Regional, it was announced during the NCAA Selection Show.
The Cavaliers (38-13) face Indiana (42-14) in the second game of the day on Friday (8 p.m., ESPN2). The Cavaliers are the seven seed in the quadrant and second-seeded team in the regional, while host Tennessee is the No. 7 overall 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 (see full bracket below).
KNOXVILLE REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday
Game 1: Tennessee vs. Northern Kentucky, 5:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Game 2: Virginia vs. Indiana, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
If you want even more award-winning coverage on the UVA athletics department, including its nationally-ranked football and basketball programs, be sure to subscribe to “Cavalier Exclusive” to follow all of Virginia Sports Hall Of Famer Jerry “Hootie” Ratcliffe’s analysis and content. It’s the best in the business for Wahoo Fans!
Saturday
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 3 p.m.
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 5:30 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3, 8 p.m.
Sunday
Game 6: Winner Game 3. Vs Winner Game 5, 2 p.m.
Game 7: If Necessary, 4:30 p.m.
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.”
Top 16 National Seeds
- Alabama (49-7)
- Texas (42-10)
- Oklahoma (48-8)
- Nebraska (46-6)
- Arkansas (42-11)
- Florida (48-10)
- Tennessee (42-10)
- UCLA (47-8)
- Florida State (49-8)
- Georgia (38-18)
- Texas Tech (52-6)
- Duke (39-14)
- Oklahoma State (38-15)
- Oregon (40-12)
- Texas A&M (36-17)
- LSU (37-17)
REGIONALS BOUND 📍
The Wahoos punch their ticket to the @NCAASoftball Tournament! pic.twitter.com/v6NAYnNV7M
— The ACC (@theACC) May 10, 2026
If you want even more award-winning coverage on the UVA athletics department, including its nationally-ranked football and basketball programs, be sure to subscribe to “Cavalier Exclusive” to follow all of Virginia Sports Hall Of Famer Jerry “Hootie” Ratcliffe’s analysis and content. It’s the best in the business for Wahoo Fans!
