The Virginia softball team had a successful Saturday, winning both games of their doubleheader at the East Carolina Pirate Clash. The Hoos came away with what looked like a pretty easy 7-2 victory over Hofstra, and battled for a 6-4 victory over Fordham, who hit a grand slam at the bottom of the fourth to almost rally from a 5-0 deficit.

So, why do you care? You care because the Cavaliers got off to a 4-0 start, its best start since 1994, when Virginia rattled off six straight wins to open the season. The Hoos stumbled on Friday, first to Fordham in a 2-1 loss, then to No. 21 Louisville, again in a 2-1 loss, but avenged the Fordham loss on Saturday.

Of Virginia's opponents so far - Drexel, ECU, Canisius, Fordham, Louisville and Hofstra - ECU, Fordham and Louisville all made postseason appearances last year, though none survived their regional. Virginia failed to make the postseason last year after earning their first NCAA bid in 2010. The Hoos are poised for some strong play this season for a possible return to at least the regional round, though that's too many months away to seriously consider at this time.

The Cavaliers will take on UNC Greensboro on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. in the Hoos' final game of the ECU Pirate Clash. Virginia then returns home to host the Cavalier Invitational next week, where they'll play Ohio twice, Colgate, and Saint Joseph's twice.

Record: 24-31 (5-14 ACC)

MVP: Giannia Cippolloni

Cippolloni led the team in hits, runs, and stolen bases, where her 32 swipes were good for 2nd in the ACC.  Her strong season led the junior to selection to the All-Region second team.  

Overview: The UVA softball team started the year coming off its most successful season as a program, culminating in its first berth to the NCAA tournament.  However, expectations were not high.  The previous year's two big boppers, Sarah Tacke and Nicole Koren, who combined for 22 (of the team's 34) home runs both graduated, leaving the team in a hole.  Predictably, the young Hoos struggled, finishing last in the ACC. That said, the season was not without bright spots, like a series win at home versus Virginia Tech and an overall 4-5 record against ranked teams; not too shabby, especially considering those 9 games included 2 against Arizona and Alabama, each ranked first at the time.

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Just a quick note to make sure everyone knows that both the softball and baseball teams have announced a change in their weekend schedules do to the impending thunderstorms in the area.

The Virginia-Virginia Tech softball series will be played with two games on Friday and one game on Saturday, as opposed to the original schedule of one on Friday and two on Saturday. Game 1 will be Friday at 4:00 p.m., and Game 2 will be Friday at 6:00 p.m. Saturday's game will be at noon. All games will be at the Park, and there will be free Domino's in between the Friday games. Admission, as always, is free.

The baseball series against Duke has also been shifted. Friday's game has been moved up an hour to 6:00 p.m., while Saturday's game will be played on Sunday as part of a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader, with the second game approximately 30 minutes following Game 2. If you had a Saturday ticket, it's now good for the second Sunday game, which starts at about 4:00 p.m.

Also, a change in the rotation. Instead of Cody Winiarski in Game 3, we'll have Will Roberts on the bump.