Virginia Basketball coaches win second straight in player-staff softball game

The annual Virginia Basketball staff vs players softball game took place Monday night, with the staff taking their second straight win in the series. This is the 12th straight season where the two groups have squared off on the diamond, with the players holding a 7-5 record in the event.

Jason Williford was named the game MVP as the coaches and staff took a narrow 15-13 win in this year’s game. We would be remiss not to mention defense in a post about Virginia Basketball, and Director of Player Personnel Johnny Carpenter got the nod as the best defender on the field. It’s also the first time that the Cavaliers got to try out Palmer Park, the brand new home of Virginia Softball.

Kadin Shedrick, who will be a redshirt freshman for the Hoos this season, was one of the top hitters for the players, reportedly launching a home run into the (former) U-Hall parking lot. Marquette transfer Sam Hauser also carried the player offense as he was a guaranteed home run each at bat. That type of offense would definitely be welcomed on the court from both of those guys this season.

Kyle Guy took to Twitter to express his disappointment with the outcome as Guy was part of a six-game win streak that the players rattled off from 2013-14 to 2018-19.

Coach Williford was ready to let all of his former players know, tagging all of them — even those that aren’t on Twitter — in a post.

But before you heap the praise on the staff win, it’s important to note a concerning trend. The coaches have won in 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13, and 2019-20 before adding 2020-21 to the board.

If those dates stand out to you, there’s a reason. Every season that the coaches and staff have won, the Cavaliers have failed to make the NCAA tournament. To be fair, Virginia would have heard their names called in 2020 had the coronavirus not cancelled the season, but it is suspicious. Here’s to hoping that streak is broken in 2021!