Board games, Goodreads, and hacky-sack matches are a few of the things bringing the 2023 University of Virginia softball team together. “Our team is really unique in that we will all hang out together anytime we can,” said senior pitcher Molly Grube. “The team's close relationship is something I’ve seen being built in my four years here.” 

The UVA softball team is coming off a remarkable 2022 season, in which they tied for the most ACC wins in program history. The Hoos also finished the season with a .974 fielding percentage, the best in program history. Unfortunately, their season ended with a loss at the National Invitational Softball Championship. However, the team is back in action and looking to keep the momentum going. “We have a lot in store for this year because last year we put ourselves on the map,” shared catcher Leah Boggs. “This year, we're trying to grow the UVA softball program and make a name for ourselves.” 

“We got a taste of almost making it to the NCAA tournament, which is like something that UVA softball hasn't done in a really, really long time,” said Leah. “I think that that really motivated us because not hearing our name added a little fuel to our fire for this year.” The Cavaliers have already kicked off this highly anticipated season by going 4-1 in the University of Houston Tournament. Next up: The ACC/Big 10 Challenge from February 17-19 followed by home play in the Cavalier Classic (Feb. 23-26) at Palmer park. 

The roster is loaded with talented Hoos. Among them is Molly Grube, a fourth-year pitcher from Chesterfield, VA. She is studying at the McIntire School of Commerce, focusing on marketing and management. Molly experienced an offseason injury before the 2022 season, but was able to work her way back into the lineup and made 17 appearances with 12 starts. She had wins against No. 2 Virginia Tech, Pitt, and Bowling Green. 

As a Virginia native, UVA had always been a big part of her life. When it came time for her to start thinking about her future with softball, she knew that UVA would be the right fit. “I think UVA has a really unique family atmosphere, the community is just so close and that's something that's really rare,” Molly said. She also noted how important the team atmosphere was to her. She said, “We're really fortunate to have a super supportive coaching staff who really want us to be successful and do the best we can on the field, and they give us every opportunity to do that.” 

Third year Leah Boggs is a catcher studying in the School of Education and Human Development with a focus on youth and social innovation. She has been a starter on the team for her first two seasons with the Cavaliers, as well as an NFCA All-Region first-team selection. She fielded at a .991 clip and was the best in the ACC with 16 base-runners caught stealing. Not only is she a great defensive player, she scored 23 runs while driving in 24 RBI for the season. More recently, Leah was recognized by Extra Inning Softball as the No. 23 preseason catcher nationally. 

Leah is from a small town in Ohio called Mansfield and when she began looking at college choices, she had some specific guidelines in mind. She found exactly what she wanted at UVA. “Charlottesville is a really unique place,” she said, “I enjoy going hiking and spending my time here outdoors.” 

Leah attributes much of her love and talent for softball to her father. “My dad taught me everything I know,” she explained. “He learned from YouTube and I learned from him and then I ended up here, so props to him for sticking with me through this entire journey.” 

Jenny Bressler is a fifth-year pitcher who is new to the team this year. Jenny is a graduate transfer student from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas who comes to UVA with 599 strikeouts and has only allowed 213 walks in her collegiate career. She also is a four-time Mountain West All-Conference first-team selection. Joining her teammate Leah, Jenny was also named to the Extra Inning Softball preseason list as the No. 98 overall player nationally. Along with this, she was also recently named to the D1 Softball Preseason Top 100 list coming in at No. 94. 

While it is always difficult coming onto a new team, Jenny said “everyone here has just been super welcoming to me from day one.” She said that she was able to start bonding with her new team before they even stepped foot on the field. “It is refreshing coming into an environment that already has strong chemistry and being brought into that while not feeling like an outsider.”     

Looking forward to these three girls season’s, they best describe it as “grind time.” The UVA softball team has a 52-game regular season with a home kick-off on February 23 against Longwood and  postseason play starting on May 10.