Lubbock, TX — After capturing its second consecutive MAAC championship and third in four years, Marist softball was named the No. 4 seed in the Lubbock Regional hosted by Texas Tech University. The four-team, double-elimination tournament begins today at 2 p.m. Eastern when Ole Miss takes on Boston University at Tracy Sellers Field.
The Red Foxes return to Texas for the second consecutive year in regional play. At the Bryan-College Station Regional last season, Marist recorded its first NCAA tournament victory, defeating Saint Francis (Pa.). The Lubbock Regional features two Power Four opponents, but the Red Foxes are more equipped for the competition. Marist faced Boston College, Arizona State, the University of North Carolina and South Carolina in non-conference play; the Red Foxes defeated South Carolina for the program’s first win against a ranked opponent.
Below is a look at each team and what to expect.
No. 1 Seed: Texas Tech Red Raiders (52-6, 21-3 Big 12)
The Women’s College World Series (WCWS) runners-up a year ago, Texas Tech hosts a regional for the second consecutive season. Prior to hiring head coach Gerry Glasco and signing ace NiJaree Canady to softball’s first $1 million contract after the 2024 season, the Red Raiders had not won more than 10 conference games in a season. Glasco and Canady have built a perennial contender in Lubbock, and the Red Raiders are ready to take the next step toward a national championship.
Texas Tech features one of the best offenses in the nation. The Red Raiders are second in the country in batting average (.388), third in on-base percentage (.484), third in home runs (174), third in slugging percentage (.736) and ninth in stolen bases (120).
The Red Raiders boast a blend of power and speed; six players have hit at least 10 home runs and the team leads the conference in stolen bases. The lineup includes eight hitters with an OPS above 1.000, with senior utility Jackie Lis (1.494) and junior infielder Mia Williams (1.448) leading the way. Senior outfielder Mihyia Davis is tied for eighth in the nation with 34 stolen bases.
In the circle, the Red Raiders are led by Canady and junior pitcher/utility Kaitlyn Terry. This season, Canady and Terry possess a 1.24 and 1.30 ERA, respectively, while limiting walks and accumulating more than a strikeout per inning. As a staff, the Red Raiders obtain the third-best strikeout-to-walk ratio in the nation (4.80 K/BB) and the third-best ERA (1.62). Terry also serves as a weapon in the batter’s box; she leads the team in batting average (.471) and has the fourth-highest OPS on the team (1.356).
Over the last four seasons, Canady has been arguably the best pitcher in college softball. At Stanford, she took the Pac-12 by storm. The two-time All-American posted a 0.57 ERA in 135 innings her freshman year and a 0.73 ERA in 230.2 innings as a sophomore. In that same season, Canady struck out 337 batters and walked just 46; she has not walked more than 50 batters in a season despite throwing at least 135 innings in each.
The Red Raiders’ high-powered offense and dominant pitching make them heavy favorites to win the Lubbock Regional.
No. 2 Seed: Ole Miss Rebels (34-24, 6-18 SEC)
Although Ole Miss won just six games in conference play, the Rebels secured an at-large bid and the No. 2 seed in the Lubbock Regional. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) continues to flex its muscle as the best conference in the sport; a year after sending a record 14 teams to regionals, the SEC is sending 12 teams in 2026. The conference also tied its own record with nine national seeds in the tournament, including six of the top eight.
Despite struggles against tough SEC opponents, Ole Miss won two games in the SEC tournament, defeating South Carolina and Tennessee before falling to the eventual SEC champion, the University of Texas. In the circle, senior pitcher/utility Emilee Boyer tossed a complete game shutout against the Gamecocks while Boyer and senior pitcher Kyra Aycock teamed up and only allowed one run on four hits to the Volunteers.
Boyer and Aycock serve as the Rebels’ primary starters while junior pitcher Lilly Whitten has made 21 appearances out of the bullpen. Even though Boyer and Aycock both occupy ERA’s north of six in conference play, their recent performance combined with the talent they have faced all season may serve them well in Lubbock.
Offensively, Ole Miss had two players selected to the All-SEC Second Team: freshman infielder Madi George and sophomore pitcher/utility Percy Llamas. George led the Rebels in batting average (.385) and OPS (1.297); her 21 home runs and 58 RBIs rank tied for fifth and ninth in the SEC, respectively. Llamas posted an OPS above 1.000 and recorded the sixth-most hits in the conference (70).
No. 3 Seed: Boston Terriers (46-13, 16-2 Patriot)
A Patriot League powerhouse, Boston University has won eight of the last 11 conference championships, including four consecutive. The Terriers nearly swept all of the Patriot League major awards: junior outfielder Kylie Doherty won Player of the Year, senior infielder Brooke Deppiesse took home Defensive Player of the Year, senior pitcher Kasey Ricard won her third consecutive Pitcher of the Year honor and head coach Ashley Waters and her staff won Coaching Staff of the Year.
Doherty paced the Boston offense all season, setting Patriot League records for home runs (26) and RBIs (88) while slashing .396/.473/.898. The Terrier offense is from a one-woman show, as three hitters, including Doherty, have an OPS above 1.000 and eight players have an OPS north of .800.
In the circle, Ricard started a nation-high 44 games for Boston this season, posting a 2.81 ERA in 234.1 innings—the most in the nation. A tick more than half of those starts resulted in a complete game (23), including 13 shutouts, which ranks fourth and second in the nation, respectively.
The Terriers are an intriguing team to watch in the Lubbock Regional; if Ricard is able to navigate her way through the Ole Miss lineup in the opener, it could pave the way for Doherty and company to make things interesting.
No. 4 Seed: Marist Red Foxes (37-19, 24-3 MAAC)
Marist enters Lubbock on a 17-game winning streak, playing its best softball of the season. Graduate student pitcher Ava Metzger fired 12.2 scoreless innings in the MAAC tournament, including a complete game shutout of Iona to crown the Red Foxes conference champions.
Metzger has been head coach Joe Ausanio’s big-game pitcher all season. The graduate student tossed a complete game while only allowing one run against South Carolina and then held Arizona State to three runs in six innings—the same Arizona State squad that defeated Texas Tech in the Big 12 championship. The Red Foxes will need another stellar performance out of Metzger to help them pull off an upset against any of the teams in the field.
At the plate, senior outfielder Peyton Pusey has led the way. The MAAC Player of the Year, Pusey became the first position player to win MAAC tournament MVP since 2015. The star center fielder logged six hits in 11 at-bats with seven RBIs and five runs scored, including two home runs. Her second came in the championship game against Iona—a two-run shot in the fifth inning that gave Marist a 3-0 lead. Pusey also earned her second consecutive NFCA First Team All-Region honor.
Graduate student infielder Haley Ahr has reached base safely in each of the last 17 games and leads the team with 45 RBIs. The Red Foxes have been excellent with two outs all season; it will be important to capitalize on those opportunities and continue making it difficult for opposing pitchers to finish innings.
Edited by Max Rosen
Graphic and photo by Jaylen Rizzo
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