5 Early Impressions as AAC Softball Teams Begin Fall Ball
It’s been a long four months since the 2025 college softball season ended. Thankfully, fall softball is in full swing throughout October and November, giving fans a glimpse of what to expect in the 2026 season.
Rosters are being rebuilt with the incoming freshmen and transfers, new coaches have entered the scene, and goals of making it to Oklahoma City have been set in stone.
It all begins in the fall.
Here are five early impressions of some of the hottest teams in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) right now.
Wichita State Shockers
Wichita State saw its 2025 season come to an end with a 29-25-1 record and a defeat to North Texas in the AAC quarterfinals. Now, with nine standout transfers joining the roster in 2026, the Shockers are revamping this fall.
- Gabby Fakes, P (Wisconsin)
- Janelle Wilson, P (North Carolina)
- Johnna Schroeder, CINF (Stanford)
- Trinity Allen, INF (McLennan CC)
- Jade Sanders, P (Roger State)
- Chloe Rhine, INF (Saint Louis)
- Mickayla Tosch, OF (McLennan CC)
- Aeryn Shuman, C (Central Arkansas)
- Ausha Moore, UT (North Texas)
They opened fall play against McLennan Community College on Oct.4 and weren’t shy at the plate. Allen crushed her first homer with the team, Tosch snagged her first Division I home run with a two-run bomb, and Moore ripped a pair of extra-base hits to take the 14-1 victory.
The following day, they faced Emporia and certainly kept those bats hot. Tosch smashed a three-run homer, and freshman Kinzy Woody recorded her first homer as a Shocker to pull off a whopping 29-1 win.
Wichita State went on to fall to the Oklahoma State Cowgirls 11-4, but will close out the fall season against Southern Nazarene, Murray State College, Hutchinson Community College, Butler Community College, and Seminole State at home at Wilkins Stadium throughout the rest of October.
Florida Atlantic University Owls
In their final game of a remarkable year that put up a 45-12 record, the No. 2-seeded Owls battled the Florida Gators in the Gainesville Regional. They held a lead through four strong innings before giving up seven runs in the fifth, and never recovered.
Now with head coach Jordan Clark entering her fourth season at the helm, coming off two straight AAC titles and NCAA Regional bids, the Owls add 12 newcomers to their roster in hopes of climbing higher in 2026.
Five of those newcomers came from the transfer portal, which the Owls took advantage of in June.
- Lily Holtje, C/1B (Arizona State)
- Hannah Rivers, INF (Mercer)
- Karson Davey, UTL (Eastern Illinois)
- Madison Inscoe, P/1B (NC State)
- McKenna Mulholland, INF (Ball State)
The team will take part in eight games this fall, beginning on Oct.24 against St. Johns River, followed by a matchup against Lynn on Oct. 25.
They’ll face Eastern Florida, Keiser, Nova Southeastern, and Palm Beach Atlantic in the beginning of November, before concluding fall play against Berry on Nov. 12.
The team will hit the road for the only time in the fall with a trip to Melbourne, Fla. on Saturday, Nov. 1, taking on both Eastern Florida and Keiser.
Southern Florida Bulls
Taking down North Texas, the Bulls won their first-ever AAC Tournament Championship in 2025. They went on to the NCAA Tallahassee Regional, but fell in a heartbreaking loss to Auburn.
- Carly Ernst, P (Hofstra)
- Kiley Strott, C (UCF)
This fall, the Bulls welcome two transfers and nine freshmen, who look to bolster a lineup that hopes to achieve what they did in 2025, if not better.
Their fall schedule boasts six games at the USF Softball Stadium, where the players and staff will give back to the community. Each game will highlight a different cause, like breast cancer research, survivors of domestic violence, the Shriners Children's Hospital, and more.
Fall play began against St. Leo on Oct. 17. The Bulls will travel to Gainesville to face the Florida Gators before meeting crosstown foe Tampa on Oct. 31. Games will lead into November, with matchups against Bethune-Cookman, Florida Southwestern College. The season closes out against Eckerd College on Nov. 9.
Charlotte 49ers
In head coach Courtney Breault’s first season at the helm in 2025, the Niners finished over. 500 overall and hit 30 wins to end the season with a 30-27 record.
The team fell in a close 4-3 matchup though to in-state rival ECU in the quarterfinals of the AAC Tournament, to close out the season.
The Niners packed their fall schedule with plenty of competition that will not only prepare the squad for 2026 but also acclimate the two new transfers and four freshmen.
- Sydney Lews, Corner INF (Maryland)
- Audrey Wilson, C (South Carolina)
Fall play began during the first week of October against Catawba College, Duke, and Gaston College. They went on to face Belmont Abbey College, App State, and UNCG, and will close out the season against Wingate and Queens.
North Texas Mean Green
After falling 5-4 to South Florida in the finals of the AAC Championship in 2025, the Mean Green are ready to take on a new path, with the addition of new head coach Cody White.
With three transfers and seven freshmen, White and his staff have their eyes on an AAC Championship, beginning this fall.
- Britney Lewinski, P (Southeastern Louisiana)
- Ariah Mitchell, UTL (Central Oklahoma)
- Brandi Harman, P (Murray State)
- Kadey Lee McKay, IF (Oklahoma)
UNT hosted four NJCAA World Series participants this fall, beginning with Trinity Valley Community College. Throughout October, they faced North Central Texas College and Texas Woman’s University. They’ll close out the fall slate against Grayson College on Oct. 29.
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Nicole Reitz graduated from Indiana University Indianapolis with a degree in sports journalism in 2022 and has been writing about softball and baseball since 2018 .Her work has been published in various publications like Softball America, the Indianapolis Star, and SoxOn35th.
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