At the start of the 2002 season, the outlook for the Virginia softball team appeared bright. Having lost only one player from the previous year, the Cavaliers returned with a well-balanced squad of seasoned players and fresh talent and a lineup that could produce scoring binges as well as deliver formidable defense.
With high preseason goals of a top spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference and a bid to postseason regional play, Virginia began its season with a solid 13-3 showing before its Spring Break trip to California, where it finished with a 10-7 record against some of the nation's best teams.
After a promising first half of the season, however, Virginia struggled against its conference competition, finishing with a 1-6 ACC record and a fourth-place spot at the ACC Championships on May 10 through 12 in Tallahassee, Fla.
Despite failing to achieve some of their preseason goals, the Cavaliers completed the season with a respectable 45-22 record.
"We were very close and we probably raised a lot of eyebrows," fifth-year coach Cheryl Sprangel explained of the squad's attempt to reach regional competition. "But we didn't do what we needed to do at the right time."
"In the last few weeks of the season, we don't play many games what with holidays and finals," she said. "That doesn't help us as far as being ready to stay sharp. We needed to be hot at the end of the season and at the ACC Championship but we weren't."
In Tallahassee, Virginia finished the weekend with a 1-2 record. On May 10, the Cavaliers dropped their first game against North Carolina 6-0, but rallied on Saturday to defeat Maryland 4-1. Later that day, however, the Cavaliers found themselves eliminated from the championships after losing for the second time in as many days to the Tar Heels, 2-1.
North Carolina posed a problem for Virginia throughout the season. Despite beating the Chapel Hill residents in their own Tar Heel Invitational on April 6, Virginia dropped both ends of a regular season doubleheader against North Carolina a week later in Charlottesville. With outcomes in tournaments like the Tar Heel Invitational not counting toward a team's conference record, the losses to North Carolina dropped Virginia's ACC record to 0-4.
The Cavaliers experienced similar frustration against the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech, who won the ACC championship this year for the first time in school history. The Cavaliers squared off against the Jackets five times over the course of the season and went 3-2 against their competitors. But because the three wins came in a tournament context, Virginia's ACC record indicated only the two losses to the Jackets that occurred on March 30.
"Georgia Tech won" the ACC championship, Sprangel said, "But outside of that, against them, we were 3-2. We won more than we lost against them, so that was kind of hard for us to sit there and watch them finish at the top spot. But ultimately, we just didn't perform at the right time."
ACC frustrations notwithstanding, Virginia compiled an impressive list of accomplishments over the course of the season. The Cavaliers successfully defended their home field, sweeping the Cavalier Classic on March 1 and 2 as well as the Who's Hoo Tournament on March 22 and 23. Additionally, Virginia's week in California offered the Cavaliers exposure to some of the best teams in the nation. Finishing with a winning record after a grueling 17-game schedule, Virginia gained deserved confidence during Spring Break.
"We faced really tough competition," junior third baseman and 2002 All-ACC selection Ruby Rojas said of the trip. "We did a good job hanging in there and [could] use the experience in California for the rest of our season."
Meanwhile, All-American pitcher/first baseman Kristen Dennis continued to wow spectators with her personal performances this season, garnering the coveted ACC Player of the Year award, joining former standout Eileen Schmidt as the only Cavaliers to achieve that honor. The senior co-captain finished with a batting average of .417 and set new career records in homers (13), RBIs (58), total bases (134) and walks (54). Meanwhile, from the mound, facing most of Virginia's toughest competition, Dennis posted a 24-11 record with a 0.97 ERA. Starting all 64 games this season, Dennis' presence on both sides of the field often was the deciding factor in Cavalier victories.
"Kristen is not replaceable," Sprangel said. "It will be a long time before we have another player like that."
Dennis was named first-team all-Southeast Region for the second straight year, while sophomore shortstop Heather Field was named to the second team.
In addition to losing Dennis, outfielder and co-captain Kelly McCabe as well as pitcher Erin Allinder graduate this week.
Next year, Virginia will add three pitchers, a catcher and an outfielder to the lineup as they work to regroup from a tough season and the loss of star players.
"We're not going to fall down and die next season," Sprangel said, "Because we have good returning players. I think we'll be the type of team that will learn from each game and keep improving. We won't expect to come right out and be completely ready but I think we'll be able to get to that point"
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