Lubbock, TX — Marist softball opens the Lubbock Regional on Friday against host and No. 11 overall seed Texas Tech. The game begins at 4:30 p.m. EST at Tracy Sellers Field.
Entering the 2026 season, Marist head coach Joe Ausanio oversaw the largest roster overhaul of his 18-year tenure in Poughkeepsie. The team graduated eight seniors — accounting for nearly 54 percent of the 108 home runs, a MAAC single-season record, and 78.4 percent of the team’s innings tallied a season ago.
Ausanio replaced the eight seniors with seven freshmen and one transfer, but needed to find a way to give his inexperienced roster a taste of postseason play early in the season. The Red Foxes played a difficult non-conference schedule that included four Power 4 programs and top mid-major programs such as South Carolina, Arizona State and South Florida — all three of which also qualified for regionals.
“The whole goal of scheduling a tough non-conference was for the girls to be prepared when they get to regionals,” Ausanio said. “These teams are going to be the toughest teams we are going to play and hopefully the girls can kind of not be so nervous tomorrow and just have fun. It’s easy if you can play loose.”
The question was never whether senior outfielder Peyton Pusey, sophomore catcher/utility Sienna Kunze and graduate student infielder Haley Ahr would produce, but what the Red Foxes would get from the newcomers. Ausanio nabbed graduate student pitcher Ava Metzger out of the transfer portal, and she responded with a career season, while redshirt sophomore pitcher Stella Blanchard put together a solid first healthy season. The pairing formed a formidable top of the rotation in place of Kiley Myers and Maddie Pleasants, despite battling through injuries in the past.
Offensively, freshman utility Livia Wiltsie stepped up as a reliable middle-of-the-order bat, hitting the second-most home runs on the team (11), while freshman first baseman/outfielder Annabelle Geiser led the team in on-base percentage (.471) and wreaked havoc on the bases with her speed.
On the other side, Texas Tech boasts one of the best rosters in college softball. The Red Raiders led the nation in wins (52), ranked second in batting average (.388), third in on-base percentage (.484) and third in home runs (174). In the circle, Texas Tech has the third-best strikeout-to-walk ratio in the nation (4.80 K/BB) and the third-best ERA (1.62).
A program-record seven Red Raiders were selected to National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region teams, headlined by senior pitcher NiJaree Canady, junior infielder Mia Williams, senior outfielder Mihyia Davis and junior pitcher/utility Kaitlyn Terry on the First Team.
“In a million years, [Texas Tech] should never have been a No. 11 seed,” Ausanio said. “It’s mind-boggling to me. But, we had to go somewhere, and we had to play a tough team no matter where we went.”
Although she may not pitch against the Red Foxes, Canady has made an immeasurable impact on collegiate softball inside and outside of the circle. In 2025, Texas Tech lured her away from Stanford through the transfer portal, making her college softball’s first $1 million player. In two seasons as a Red Raider, Canady has posted a 1.16 ERA in 386.1 innings, striking out 528 batters while holding them to a .154 batting average.
“She’s awesome,” said Ahr. “She’s someone that we all look up to, and she’s getting the kind of exposure that’s boosting women’s sports.”
“What she has done for the game is opening up so many opportunities for so many young women,” Ausanio said. “A lot of little girls want to become softball players when they watch her play.”
When she steps into the batter’s box on Friday, Pusey will embark on her third regional tournament in her Marist career. The two-time First Team NFCA All-Region honoree has learned plenty in her first two experiences and carries a simple mindset into Lubbock.
“We’re all just running 60 feet,” Pusey said. “Softball is not different. It’s still softball. We’re just gonna play our game and come out with everything we have. I’m excited to compete and prove that, no matter what, we belong here.”
First pitch between the Red Foxes and the Red Raiders is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Eastern. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Edited by Ryan Eichem
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
Photos from Marist Athletics and the Associated Press
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