ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR SOFTBALLONSI Credit: UCF Athletics Without Taylor Kittleman’s eye, UCF may not have advanced to its second Super Regional appearance in program history. While the Knights were up by one run against No.9 Florida State in the third inning with two outs, Shelby McKenzie knocked a single off UCF’s pitcher Tori Payne. The ball made its way to center field, and the throw home was cut off before it could get the runner at home. This cleared the bases and allo

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI Thalia Martin will enter the transfer portal. | Auburn Athletics Auburn’s Thalia Martin has announced via social media that she will enter the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining. The Tigers missed the NCAA Tournament, finishing a game under .500. "After much prayer and conversations with my family, I have decided to enter the transfer portal with 1 year of eligibility remaining. I’m extremely grateful for the relations

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI Hailey Nutter will enter the transfer portal. | Kentucky Athletics After ending the season in last place in the SEC with a conference record of 1-23, a Kentucky Wildcat will add her name to the transfer portal. Freshman pitcher Hailey Nutter announced on social media that she’s leaving and has three years of eligibility remaining. “Thank you to all at the University of KY for a great year. With that being said, I wanted to announce that

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI Arizona State Sun Devils outfielder Tanya Windle (44) celebrates after hitting a home run in the second inning of a Big 12 softball tournament game between the Oklahoma State Cowgirls and the Arizona State Sun Devils at Devon Park Oklahoma City, Friday, May 8, 2026. Arizona State won 11-7. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The bracket is set, and the road to the Women’s College World Series is heating up. Sev

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI UNC softball has parted ways with pitching coach Maddie Holub | UNC Athletics The North Carolina softball program has reportedly parted ways with pitching coach Maddie Holub, according to Softball America. This decision comes just days after the Tar Heels failed to make the NCAA Tournament after closing out ACC play with three losses to Virginia Tech and a major blowout to Duke in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. UNC had lofty goals of

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI UConn won its second-straight BIG East Tournament championship. | UConn Athletics ROSEMONT- In a rematch of the 2025 Big EAST Tournament championship, it was deja vu for the UConn Huskies. For the second-straight year, the UConn Huskies are BIG EAST Tournament champions with a late, if-necessary 8-3 win over the Creighton Bluejays. UConn now has an automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Softball Championship and will learn its seeding fate on Sun

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI Lily West broke Creighton's all-time hits record. | Creighton Athletics ROSEMONT- In what could have been the final at-bat of her collegiate career, Creighton senior catcher Lily West made program history on Saturday when she ripped her 246th hit in the 5-1 win over UConn. The single broke Bluejay Hall of Famer Christy Luceford’s program record of 245 career hits, a record that has stood since 1997. West tied the record straight away in t

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI Piper Ritter was let go of her coaching duties at Minnesota. | Minnesota Athletics Following a 16-36 record and a failed performance in the 2026 Big Ten Tournament, the Minnesota Gophers have relieved head coach Piper Ritter of her duties. Minnesota Director of Athletics, Mark Coyle released a statement on the decision, citing that the program has taken steps backward during the last three seasons. "I want to thank Piper for dedicating m

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI Danielle Zymkowitz is an Illinois softball legend. | Wisconsin Athletics The Illinois Fighting Illini parted ways with softball head coach Tyra Perry on Monday. Now, a national search for a new leader by Chief Sports Officer Sara Burton has begun. Here are several standout names that could be under consideration for the role. Danielle Zymkowitz, Associate Head Coach Wisconsin Badgers Though Danielle Zymkowitz is in her ninth season with

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI Southwood won the 99-run battle, 54-45. | Submitted Photo Are you ready to see some of the most mind-boggling stats from a softball game, possibly ever? Louisiana’s Southwood High School and Huntington High School varsity teams battled in a non-district matchup, combining for a national record of 99 runs. Southwood came out victorious 54-45. That’s not even the wildest part of the boxscore. According to MaxPreps, 62 batters were hit by

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI Oregon pitcher Lyndsey Grein is one of five college softball players who might not get a Golden Ticket from the AUSL. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) has been handing out Golden Tickets to some of the best college athletes in the game, signifying their selection in the 2026 AUSL College Draft. With 15 players selected so far, fans across social media have

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI Jordy Frahm is focused on taking Nebraska to the Women's College World Series. | Nebraska Athletics The future of professional softball will be without one of the current best in the collegiate game. As the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) has been handing out Golden Tickets to collegiate athletes over the last month, many have been anticipating one for Nebraska’s Jordy Frahm’s moment. Multiple sources from within the state of N

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI Oklahoma Sooners catcher Kendall Wells (1) celebrates after hitting a two-run home run in the third inning of a Bedlam softball game between the Oklahoma State Cowgirls and the Oklahoma Sooners at Devon Park in Oklahoma CIty, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. Oklahoma State won 6-4. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Oklahoma freshman slugger Kendall Wells, who reached 30 home runs in just 40 games, faster than any p

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI Kentucky head coach Rachel Lawson is in the final year of her contract. | Randy Sartin/Special To The News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK An earlier version of this story included incorrect information regarding Lawson’s contract. This has since been corrected to reflect accurate details. With the college softball season in full swing, several head coaches may be on the hot seat if their teams don’t hit the win column more frequently or succ

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI Samford upset Alabama 3-2. | Samford Athletics For the first time since 1997, Samford softball pulled off a historic upset when it downed the No.2-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 3-2 on Tuesday evening. A late fifth-inning rally led the Bulldogs to earn the win over their highest-ever-ranked opponent. According to head coach Megan Curry, the team has been deliberately working toward this moment all season, and it was only a matter of time bef

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI Karlyn Pickens threw her fourth career no-hitter against Kentucky. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images It’s safe to say Karlyn Pickens is officially back. The Tennessee ace threw a no-hitter against Kentucky in just her third complete game since suffering an arm strain in March. Pickens recorded 12 strikeouts, one walk, and one hit-by-pitch, and she only needed 99 total pitches to grab her fourth career

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI UCLA Softball Explodes for 8 Home Runs as Megan Grant Makes Big Ten History Again The UCLA bats continue to make history. In the Big Ten series opener against Illinois on Friday, the No. 9 Bruins’ offense exploded for an astonishing 14-run seventh inning to win 17-0. The runs tied for a program single-game record with eight total home runs. Six of those eight homers were in the seventh inning alone, which is tied for second-most in a sing

Texas hosts Oklahoma for a three-game series. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI Interested in getting into the sold-out annual Red River Rivalry series between No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 4 Texas at Red & Charline McCombs Field? It might just be easier to watch the games at home on ESPN. According to SeatGeek, general admission tickets to the Saturday, April 11 game in Austin are reselling for as low as $23, but

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI LA28 tickets have gone on sale. | USA Softball Softball tickets for the upcoming Los Angeles Olympic Games have gone on sale to the general public through the LA28 Ticket Drop 1. Here’s everything we’ve learned. Held at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, tickets are listed to be anywhere from $256.73 to $553.99 for preliminary rounds. Medal games are not currently available. The seating chart is listed by categories, with options in the outfie

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SOFTBALLONSI Knoxville has become a hub for softball thanks to the Lady Vols. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Prior to debuting in June 2026, the new Professional Softball League (PSL) is already expanding. Announced on Monday, a team is officially headed to Knoxville in 2027, marking the city’s first-ever pro women’s team. League executive and former Lady Vol, Caylan Arnold Elliott, couldn’t pass up the opportun