Virginia’s postseason run came to an end Sunday night as Jacksonville State held off a late Cavaliers rally for a 7-6 victory in the NCAA Hattiesburg Regional elimination game.
The loss concluded Virginia’s season at 37-23 and ended the Cavaliers’ bid to advance to the regional championship round. Jacksonville State moved on to face Little Rock, needing two wins to claim the regional title.
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Virginia found itself in a deep early hole as Jacksonville State built a 7-0 lead through eight innings. The Cavaliers, however, mounted a dramatic comeback attempt in the top of the eighth, capitalizing on control issues from the Gamecocks’ pitching staff to score six runs and cut the deficit to one.
After Virginia’s bullpen kept Jacksonville State off the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth and ninth innings, the Cavaliers entered their final at-bat with a chance to complete the comeback. Jacksonville State’s pitching staff regrouped and closed out the victory, stranding Virginia’s hopes of extending its season.
The defeat came one day after Virginia outlasted host Southern Miss 15-11 in a 10-inning elimination game, knocking the regional’s top seed out of the tournament and keeping the Cavaliers alive for another day.
In their first NCAA Tournament appearance under first-year head coach Chris Pollard, the Cavaliers battled through a challenging regional field but were unable to overcome Jacksonville State, which won twice against Virginia during the weekend.
Virginia finished the 2026 season with a trip to the NCAA Tournament and a regional final-four appearance, while Jacksonville State advanced to the Hattiesburg Regional championship game.