The DII softball championship selection show is roughly a month away. Sixty-four teams will sit with bated breath, waiting for their seeding and entrance into the bracket. The majority of the projected bracket knows what is needed to be done to get there, while others are looking to cause havoc and break the traditional mold.
👀 10 freshmen hitters lighting it up in DII softball, so far
It has been a topsy turvy season, one in which UT Tyler is not No. 1 and familiar faces have struggled to stay in contention. Here are just a few things to watch as the regular season winds down.
Who’s No. 1?
This has been a wild DII softball season. The No. 1 spot has been one of the most unsafe places to be, a revolving door since Week 1. Two-time defending champion UT Tyler began the season at No. 1 and by Week 2, Auburn Montgomery was atop the rankings. That only lasted two weeks, as by Week 4, Cal State San Marcos was No. 1. West Texas A&M captured that top spot in Week 7, and the Cougars recently took that spot back, entering this weekend as No. 1.
The Cougars No. 1 spot is in jeopardy this weekend as they head to No. 8-ranked Cal State East Bay. Cal State San Marcos hopes its pitching — which has the third-best ERA in DII (1.79) and sixth-best WHIP (1.08) — can hold off the lighter hitting Pioneers and stick to No. 1. If not, there are two teams ready to swoop in and become the fifth team to hit the top spot in 11 weeks.
Saint Leo is on a tear, winners of 28 in a row, undefeated in the SSC and 33-2-1 overall. The Lions pitching is among the best in DII; their 1.90 ERA is ranked No. 6, and their 1.04 WHIP is No. 3. They have a pair of hitters in Izzy LaRoche and Abigail Hynes who are both hitting over .400, each with an OPS over 1.100 and each have six doubles and six home runs apiece.
Of course, everyone in DII softball always has to watch out for North Georgia. Going back to the Nighthawks 2015 championship, the Nighthawks have appeared in nine of 10 Southeast Region super regionals, advancing to the finals seven times. That is what domination looks like, and they are dominating once again, now 32-6 on the season. There is very little weakness in the lineup, as player-of-the-year candidate Sydney Reeves leads the way as one of three players with 10 home runs, and Chloe Poss heads things up in the circle for a sharp rotation with a 2.29 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. The Nighthawks look super-regional bound again, and should they sweep through Columbus State this weekend, could jump to No. 1, depending on how everything else plays out this weekend.
Here come the champs
Not only did the two-time champion Patriots fall out of the top spot after week one, but they were also bumped from the top 25 altogether after a 3-3 start at the 2025 DII First Pitch Invitational. That seemed a bit harsh for a team that lost so much of the talent that led to four-straight DII softball semifinals and the last two national championships. May we remind you, UT Tyler has only been DII-tournament eligible for four years… and it has made the semifinals in each one of those.
Well, here they come. The Patriots are 29-5 since that slow start and came in at No. 25 heading into this weekend. They opened April with a sweep of then-No. 1 West Texas A&M and still have nationally ranked Oklahoma Christian ahead to improve their stock even more. Kendell Selitzky has pitched back-to-back shutouts, including one in the WTAMU series, for a rotation that has been up and down, but still has a respectable 2.82 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. While this team hits a solid, but modest, .325, they are one of the best at scoring runs, No. 13 overall in DII with 7.1 per game. New lineup, new pitching, new head coach… same results. The Patriots are moving on up, and the rest of DII softball should be on red alert.
Is McKendree the best in the Midwest?
It feels like an eternity since the Midwest Region has not run through UIndy or Grand Valley State. That’s not to say both have won every year, but in order to make it to the final eight, you had to get through one of them… and most of the time, it wasn’t successful. There may be a new sheriff in town in 2026, and it is in an unlikely form.
McKendree has made the DII softball championship one time, and that was back in 2018. The Bearcats came into the 2026 season predicted as third-place finishers in the GLVC, yet here they are, currently the potential No. 2 seed in the entire Midwest. Heading into the weekend of April 10, the Bearcats are 29-9 and have a chance to topple that 38-win 2018 season with 14 regular-season games remaining. They will have a chance to prove it down the stretch: They face Missouri-St. Louis this weekend, and then the weekend of April 25 they have a pair of doubleheaders against UIndy and Lewis, the two teams ahead of them in the GLVC standings. They have signature wins up and down their schedule — including big wins over top 10 West Texas A&M and Missouri Southern, as well as victories over potential tournament squads Grand Valley State and Ashland. Sami Huck has been on fire in the circle of late. She’s allowed five runs in her last eight appearances… and they all came in one March 22 start against Drury. In her last three starts, she has thrown 19 scoreless innings and looks to keep the streak alive this weekend.
Jeepers, sleepers!
Montevallo is currently 33-6 with 14 games to go. The Falcons have already broken their single-season win record and are having a historic season, one which has them on pace for their first DII softball championship in program history. On Feb. 17, the Falcons earned their first-ever spot in the NFCA top 25 and have since climbed to No. 17. Right now, they seem to be sitting inside the projected bracket, and you can say their success has been Taylor made. Taylor Lloyd (21-2, 1.51 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 132 strikeouts, .213 batting average against) and Taylor Rogers (.423, 1.177 OPS, seven home runs, 28 RBIs, 35-for-35 in stolen bases) were recently named to the NFCA pitcher and player-of-the-year watchlist, respectively.
Texas Woman’s was 21-29 a year ago. The Pioneers are currently 23-19, and with series splits with UT Tyler, Angelo State, Rogers State and Oklahoma Baptist to this point, they are making a case to return to their first DII softball championship in nearly a decade, last earning a spot in the bracket in 2017. Randi Crawford has been a big piece of success, going 13-3 with a 1.94 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, a .206 batting average against and 119 strikeouts in 115.1 innings pitched.
The Atlantic Region is typically PSAC dominated, oftentimes represented by six of the eight teams that make the bracket. That leaves room for one CIAA team and one MEC team, and for the better part of the post-COVID era, that MEC spot has been reserved for Charleston (WV). Perhaps this is the year we see a change. Glenville State is 23-11 and has split with first-place Charleston on the season. These Pioneers have never made the DII softball championship according to the official NCAA record book, and with 10 of their remaining 18 games at home, where they are 12-0, they have a chance to do just that. This is a combined effort, as the pitching staff has a nice 2.44 ERA and 1.32 WHIP which is what keeps them in ball games.
A record-setter in Pittsburg, Kansas?
Will Pittsburg State’s Heather Arnett keep hitting? She’s hit in all 39 games she’s played in the season, and the final two of last year, which gives her a 41-game hitting streak, tied for the longest in DII softball history. On the season, she is second in DII with a .562 batting average and has scored a DII-best 61 runs while piling up 35 stolen bases, putting her on pace to break her own Gorillas’ single-season records (73 runs scored, 51 stolen bases). She needs 40 hits and 46 runs scored to tie the DII single-season records with 14 regular-season games to go, plus all-but certain MIAA and DII tournament games. Seems like those records will fall, and if she keeps up this surreal pace, potentially before the postseason even starts.
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