Virginia Softball Announces Class of 2014

Virginia softball coach Eileen Schmidt has announced that Marcy Bowdren (Fairfax, Va.), Erica Cipolloni (Philadelphia, Pa.), Stephanie Harris (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Alexandra Rodriguez (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) have signed National Letters of Intent to join the Cavaliers in 2010-11.

"On and off the field, this class embodies the principles of what the University of Virginia and this team are built on: leadership, hard work, and competition," Schmidt said. "Marcy, Erica, Stephanie and Alex fill current and future needs and we expect them all to impact our team right away."

Bowdren, a catcher out of Robinson High School, was a 2009 first-team all-state selection, helping her team to the AAA Northern Region semifinals. The 2009 Concord District Player of the Year and Northern Region Player of the Year, Bowdren hit .568 as a junior.

Cipolloni is the younger sister of current Cavalier Giannina Cipolloni, a sophomore on the 2010 roster. Cipolloni, an infielder, was a second-team all-state honoree as a sophomore and was named to the first team as a junior in 2009. She also is a three-time all-academy selection out of Nazareth Academy.

Harris, who plays both infield and outfield, has twice been named first-team all-state out of Farragut High School. The 2009 Prepxtra Player of the Year and District Player of the Year, Harris hit .580 as a junior.

Rodriguez, a middle infielder and outfielder, is a three-time all-league and two-time all-section honoree out of John Jay High School.

"Going into our third year as a staff, this team has made huge strides in their commitment to take this program to another level," Schmidt said. "The standard they force us to match when looking at prospects is at the highest level both academically and athletically."

Virginia opens the 2010 campaign Feb. 13-14 at the Elon Tournament in Elon, N.C.

Courtesy VirginiaSports.com