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cavalier profile DANNI INGRAHAM Fourth-Year • Softball Danni Ingraham has come a long way since the University of Virginia started recruiting her during her sophomore year at Dana Hills High School — literally and figuratively. The native of Laguna Niguel, Calif., which is about 55 miles southeast of Los Angeles, had played in softball tourna- ments on the East Coast but had never heard of UVA. Her interest was piqued, though, and after doing some re- search she pledged to the Cavaliers that same year. After committing to make the 2,559-mile trek from Laguna Niguel to Charlottesville, Ingraham had to deal with two coaching changes. However, the most recent move to Joanna Hardin and her staff has turned into a positive. "It's been awesome," Ingraham told VirginiaSports.com. "I was really nervous at first, because I think everybody gets nervous when your head coach [changes]. … They've done an awesome job with everything. "They've changed our program. Just looking at num- bers, we've improved dramatically." In her first season at the helm in 2017, Hardin guided the Cavaliers to 22 victories — their most since 2012 — and nine ACC wins — their most in seven years — en route to qualifying for the conference tournament for the first time since 2013. Through all the change, Ingraham — a 6-2 first baseman — has been a steady and reliable contributor for the Wahoos, starting 188 of 197 games through April 3. Her veteran presence has been important for this season's squad, which started 11-25 overall and 2-10 in the ACC. "Danni has a lot of experience," Hardin said. "This is her fourth spring, and she can bring that and use that by talking them through what it's like to be on the road for so many weekends in a row, and really helping and encouraging them, but also challenging them when those lulls come." Ingraham was hitting .267 with five home runs and 15 RBI while starting all 35 games she has played in this season. The five round-trippers brought her career total to 29, tying her for third on the school's all-time list. She has been just as good in the field, commit- ting just seven errors in 963 career chances for a .993 fielding percentage. "Typically, a first baseman is probably going to make the majority of your mistakes," Hardin said. "She's really solid there. It's fortunate when you have someone who can play first base and be solid [defensively], and also swing with some power." The fourth-year biology major participated in a public health program last summer in Saints Kitts and Nevis, an island nation in the West Indies, and plans to attend nursing school after graduating from UVA. Thanks in part to her experience in Charlottes- ville, she is keeping all her options open in regards to where she continues her education. "Since moving from California to Virginia, I feel like I can go anywhere I want to do this," she said. — Steve Downey Photo courtesy UVA 30 CAVALIER CORNER