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JUNE 2023 25 Hylton echoed Bigham's sentiment and provided a perspective that demonstrates the maturity and humble nature that Hardin saw in the duo when she was recruiting them. "The first weekend was a good weekend with my first collegiate hit being a home run, but I didn't get to ride that high very long," Hylton said. "We went back on the road for the ACC/Big Ten Chal- lenge the next weekend and I probably had one of the poorest hitting per- formances of my life. But it was important knowing that will happen and I was learning, growing and devel- oping from those mistakes. "It's important knowing that even when you fail you can continue developing as a player. It was a learning process because I tend to get really frustrated when I'm not performing to the best of my ability." The savvy displayed by the young duo served them, and the team, well throughout the year. Bigham posted a 13-6 record with a 2.52 ERA in 111 innings of work. She struck out 115 batters and held opponents to a .189 batting average. She also tallied six complete-game shutouts and a pair of saves. The right-hander was named a third-team All-ACC se- lection and earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman team for her efforts. Hylton paced the squad in several offensive categories, hitting at a .314 clip for the season while tying for the team lead in both home runs (10) and stolen bases (22). She led the team in extra-base hits with 8 doubles and 4 triples to go along with the home runs and turned in a team-leading 26 RBI and 33 runs scored. Hylton was named a TUCCI/NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 25 selection and earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman team. Both players were named All- Region selections by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association to mark a second straight year that the Cavaliers have had multiple players recognized by the group. The rookies helped the Cavaliers to a 30-win season for the first time since the 2010 campaign and sur- passing the 28 wins from the 2022 season. Virginia advanced to the ACC Tournament for the fourth time in the last six tournaments under Hardin. With the program continuing to rise, it's no surprise the first-years each point to different moments in the season as standouts for them. Bigham points to the team's win at No. 4 Florida State in the middle game of the se- ries. She earned her second ACC Pitcher of the Week honor for her performance, record- ing the Hoos' first win over the Seminoles since the 2014 season and the first in Tal- lahassee since 2011. Hylton immediately looks to the weekend series with No. 13 Virginia Tech. The series was highlighted by an opener that was decided by one run in extra innings and a middle game that was claimed by the Cava- liers on a walk-off run in extra innings. That wasn't what stood out in Coach Hardin's mind as the defining moment of the season for the duo, however. That came against another in-state op- ponent, Liberty, in a game at Palmer Park in April. "Our game against Liberty at home we had just talked to the team about some goals and the postseason," Hardin said. "We came out and Eden threw a complete- game shutout, and it was the first time we had beaten them in a couple of years. Jade also hit a home run to start the scoring in that 3-0 game. "It was a moment where it crystallized that it wasn't just a season, but they are the future. They will be the ones who carry the torch for us in the next step in our program. That's the game that showed me they're the ones." The duo knows that their class, one that became close quickly with a bevy of Virginia players, is one that holds a large piece of the puzzle for the program moving forward. That knowledge combined with their com- petitive drive has Bigham and Hylton already looking forward to the next season and planning how they can improve in the offseason. "It's the first summer I've had off from softball or baseball in a long time," Hylton said. "I'm going to steadily practice over the summer and hammer the things I can work on at home so I can come back to UVA in the fall and be ready to get even more work done. "I accomplished some big things this past year, but I'm never one to be satisfied with myself. I feel like this past season was an all right one, but I'm capable of more and want to reach the best of my abilities." "We started off great this past sea- son and the thing we want to do now is carry that through to the end of the year," Bigham said. "We want to finish off great, too. We played great against some really good teams. "As we got to the end, we didn't re- ally perform like we know we knew we could. We know what's at stake and we're all going for the big picture and will work for that all year around." Bigham was tabbed as a third-team All-ACC selection and earned a spot on the ACC All- Freshman team after going 13-6 with 2 saves, a 2.52 ERA and 115 strikeouts in 111 innings of work. (Photo by Matt Riley/courtesy UVA) " It was a moment where it crystallized that it wasn't just a season, but they are the future. They will be the ones who carry the torch for us in the next step in our program. That's the game that showed me they're the ones." UVA HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN ON BIGHAM AND HYLTON LEADING THE CAVALIERS TO A WIN OVER LIBERTY IN APRIL