Saturday, March 21
Syracuse, N.Y.
12 PM
Syracuse University
vs
Virginia
Orange Welcome No.18 Virginia for Opening Weekend
3/19/2026 3:37:00 PM | Softball
Game Details:Â Friday, Mar. 20- Sunday, Mar. 22; Syracuse, N.Y.; Skytop Softball Stadium
Live Video: ACCNX
Live Coverage: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
X:Â @CuseSB
Instagram:@CuseSB
Syracuse Links: Roster | Schedule | News
Virginia Links: Roster | Schedule | News
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Orange softball team (11-10, 0-3) is set to face No.18 Virginia (25-3, 4-2) in their home opener at Skytop Softball Stadium. 'Cuse and the Cavaliers will compete in a three-game series from March 20-22.
ORANGE UPDATE:Â
Syracuse traveled to Tallahassee, Fla. last weekend to face No. 10 Florida State in its first ACC series of the season. The team currently stands in 15th place in the conference heading into their home opener this weekend, falling to the Seminoles 1-12 in five innings on Friday, 1-13 on Saturday and 6-11 on Sunday.
Graduate student Jayden Burney hit her second career home run, a grand slam, in Sunday's game against the Seminoles, while freshman Kendall Gaunt hit her first career home run.
SU will kick off the weekend at the Skytop Softball Stadium at 3 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 1 p.m. first pitch on Saturday and a noon matinee faceoff on Sunday.
SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS:
Virginia enters Central New York with a 25-3 overall record to start the season. Last weekend, the Cavaliers hosted Georgia Tech, winning the series 2-1 over the Yellow Jackets. Pitcher Eden Bigham threw a complete game in the series' finale, while Macee Eaton tallied her 14th multi-RBI game of the season.
The Cavaliers had three players that were named to Softball America's Freshman to Watch List: Carmen Montes De Oca, Carly Short and Morgen Talley. Hannah Church was also ranked as the No. 10 catcher nationally by Softball America.
Headed into the 2026 season, Virginia had two players ranked in the preseason top 100 poll – Pitcher Eden Bigham and Infielder Jade Hylton.
Virginia currently stands in third place in the ACC, with a 4-2 conference record. The Cavaliers were picked to finish in sixth place, according to the ACC Preseason Poll. Additionally, they received votes in the NFCA's preseason poll.
Last season, Virginia ended seventh in the ACC and finished the season 38-19. They had a 14-10 conference record and entered the conference tournament as the No. 7 seed, defeating No. 10 seed Louisville before falling to No. 2 Clemson in the quarterfinals. The Cavaliers earned an at-large bid to the NCAA regional, but their season ended after two losses to North Florida in the Columbia region.
SERIES HISTORY:
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
The Orange will continue ACC play at home, welcoming NC State to Skytop Softball Stadium from Friday, March 27 through Sunday, March 29.
For complete coverage of Syracuse softball, follow us on Facebook (/cusesb), X (@CuseSB) and Instagram (@cusesb).
Â
Live Video: ACCNX
Live Coverage: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
X:Â @CuseSB
Instagram:@CuseSB
Syracuse Links: Roster | Schedule | News
Virginia Links: Roster | Schedule | News
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Orange softball team (11-10, 0-3) is set to face No.18 Virginia (25-3, 4-2) in their home opener at Skytop Softball Stadium. 'Cuse and the Cavaliers will compete in a three-game series from March 20-22.
ORANGE UPDATE:Â
Syracuse traveled to Tallahassee, Fla. last weekend to face No. 10 Florida State in its first ACC series of the season. The team currently stands in 15th place in the conference heading into their home opener this weekend, falling to the Seminoles 1-12 in five innings on Friday, 1-13 on Saturday and 6-11 on Sunday.
Graduate student Jayden Burney hit her second career home run, a grand slam, in Sunday's game against the Seminoles, while freshman Kendall Gaunt hit her first career home run.
SU will kick off the weekend at the Skytop Softball Stadium at 3 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 1 p.m. first pitch on Saturday and a noon matinee faceoff on Sunday.
SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS:
Virginia enters Central New York with a 25-3 overall record to start the season. Last weekend, the Cavaliers hosted Georgia Tech, winning the series 2-1 over the Yellow Jackets. Pitcher Eden Bigham threw a complete game in the series' finale, while Macee Eaton tallied her 14th multi-RBI game of the season.
The Cavaliers had three players that were named to Softball America's Freshman to Watch List: Carmen Montes De Oca, Carly Short and Morgen Talley. Hannah Church was also ranked as the No. 10 catcher nationally by Softball America.
Headed into the 2026 season, Virginia had two players ranked in the preseason top 100 poll – Pitcher Eden Bigham and Infielder Jade Hylton.
Virginia currently stands in third place in the ACC, with a 4-2 conference record. The Cavaliers were picked to finish in sixth place, according to the ACC Preseason Poll. Additionally, they received votes in the NFCA's preseason poll.
Last season, Virginia ended seventh in the ACC and finished the season 38-19. They had a 14-10 conference record and entered the conference tournament as the No. 7 seed, defeating No. 10 seed Louisville before falling to No. 2 Clemson in the quarterfinals. The Cavaliers earned an at-large bid to the NCAA regional, but their season ended after two losses to North Florida in the Columbia region.
SERIES HISTORY:
- This weekend's meeting will mark the 26th, 27th and 28th matchups between Syracuse and Virginia.
- The Orange hold a 16-9 advantage over the Cavaliers, with the first meeting occurring on March 12, 2011.The last time the two teams faced off, Virginia defeated 'Cuse 10-2.
- The Orange are looking for their first win over the Cavaliers since May 4, 2024.Â
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
- Friday, March 20: vs. Virginia at 3 p.m. ET
- Saturday, March 21: vs. Virginia at 1 p.m. ET
- Sunday, March 22: vs. Virginia at 12 p.m. ETÂ
The Orange will continue ACC play at home, welcoming NC State to Skytop Softball Stadium from Friday, March 27 through Sunday, March 29.
For complete coverage of Syracuse softball, follow us on Facebook (/cusesb), X (@CuseSB) and Instagram (@cusesb).
Â
Players Mentioned
INF
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