2026 Ivy League Pitcher of the Year Transfers to Stanford

Madeline Lawson was a standout for Columbia during her freshman season. She returns home to California and joins an ACC title contender.

Madeline Lawson delivers a pitch for Columbia during the 2026 softball season. | Columbia Athletics

Stanford University announced on Tuesday the signing of Madeline Lawson, a rising sophomore who was named the 2026 Ivy League Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year while a member of Columbia Lions team last season.

Lawson is only the second player in Ivy League history to earn Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season. She led the Ivy League in earned run average with a 2.44 mark over the course of 169.1 innings pitched.

Lawson started 28 games for the Lions and completed 19 of those. She struck out 157 hitters and held opposing hitters to a .231 batting average.

Lawson earned NFCA First Team All-Northeast Region honors in 2026. She was named Ivy League Player of the Week and Ivy League Rookie of the Week three times each during this past season.

🌲 Welcome to The Farm, Madeline Lawson!

The reigning Ivy League Pitcher & Rookie of the Year is joining the Cardinal!

📰 https://t.co/awdcx8hRdw#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/ASRbhJJrhb

— Stanford Softball (@StanfordSball) July 14, 2026

In the Stanford announcement, head coach Jessica Allister said, “We are thrilled to add Mads to the program. Mads had a fantastic freshman campaign at Columbia, and we believe her skill set will translate well to the ACC. It became very clear in our first interactions with Mads that she was someone we wanted to add to our roster. Not only is Mads a very talented ball player, but also a great fit for our locker room.”

Lawson, a native of Rancho Murieta, Calif., expressed her gratitude by saying, "I’m beyond excited to be joining The Farm and coming back home to California. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity Coach Allister has given me and can’t wait to grow under this amazing coaching staff. The combination of elite academics and athletics is a dream come true. I’m thrilled to be joining an amazing group of girls and continue to make program history.”

Columba finished with an overall record of 22-23 last season. In Ivy League play, the Lions had a record of 12-9, good for second place in the regular season behind Princeton.

Lawson started 13 Ivy League games in 2026, finishing with a record of 9-2 and a league-best earned run average of 1.50. Lawson also led the league in innings pitched (84.1), complete games (10) and strikeouts (80).

Stanford finished the 2026 season with a 39-15 overall record. In ACC play, their record was 18-6, tied for third with Virginia Tech and Louisville. The Cardinal lost to Florida State in the ACC Tournament semifinals.

Stanford earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament, landing in the Stillwater Regional, where they won two games versus Princeton and lost two games to Oklahoma State. The Cardinal adds Lawson to a pitching staff that returns in its entirety and is led by Zoe Prystajko and Alyssa Houston.

Lawson is the third northeast Pitcher of the Year to transfer out of conference in as many weeks. Former Binghamton pitcher Brianna Roberts, the 2025 America East Pitcher of the Year, transferred to Virginia of the ACC in late June, while Maddy Wachter, the 2026 America East Pitcher of the Year for Bryant, recently transferred to St. John's of the Big East.