The University of Virginia formally announced Tuesday that it has agreed to a three-year contract extension with softball coach Joanna Hardin, who has led the program to two winning seasons in her seven years as head coach.
“We are very excited about Coach Hardin and the trajectory of Virginia softball,” UVA Director of Athletics Carla Williams said. “The last two seasons have given us a glimpse of what is to come. Outstanding team and individual performances as well as increased fan attendance and back-to-back top 25 recruiting classes are examples of why we are so excited about Coach Hardin and the future of this program.”
Virginia is coming off a 30-22 season in 2023, though the Cavaliers were just 8-16 in ACC play and were 9-21 in games against Power 5 opponents.
In her seven seasons at UVA, Hardin’s teams are 139-197 overall, 51-112 in the ACC and 54-132 against Power 5 opponents.
Virginia was 28-26 in 2022 with a 13-11 record in the ACC, the program’s first above-.500 mark in ACC play since 2010.
That 2010 team is also the only team in program history to qualify for an NCAA Tournament.
Virginia has made a significant investment in softball, putting $19.4 million into the new Palmer Park, which opened in 2020.
The program has gone 83-93 overall, and 38-35 at home, in the four seasons since Palmer Park opened.
“I’d like to thank President Ryan and Carla Williams for believing in the future of Virginia softball,” Hardin said. “The investment in our student-athletes and Palmer Park provides an amazing opportunity for wholistic development. Our vision has always been to develop young women through championship softball. Our fan base continues to expand and support our program as we extend our unbroken growth. It is truly an honor to represent the Commonwealth and University of Virginia every day.”
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Chris Graham
