5 Early Impressions as MAC College 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 MAC right now.
Miami (OH)
The RedHawks are coming off a terrific 2025, where they won the MAC title for the second year in a row. Under first-year head coach Mandy Gardner-Colegate, the team achieved a 36-26 record, which included a 20-7 conference record, capturing the regular season and conference tournament championship.
The RedHawks went on to play in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year and picked up a win over North Carolina, but dropped to Ohio State in the elimination game.
Now, welcoming seven freshmen and two transfers, Presley Hosick (Liberty), and Lindey Miller (Kentucky), Miami is ready to climb higher.
The addition of Jenna Golembiewski, the 2023 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year and a 2024 Second-Team All-American, as an assistant coach has already made a difference on the team this fall.
Miami packed a fall schedule full of decent competition, with games against top names like Purdue, Ohio State, Marshall, and Dayton.
Ball State
The Ball State Cardinals saw a disappointing loss in the 2025 MAC Softball Championship when they fell to the top-seeded Miami 8-0 in the final elimination bracket game.
During the 33-18 season, the team ranked among the nation’s leaders in runs per game for a majority of the year, led by the performances of senior catcher McKayla Timmons and sophomore shortstop Maia Pietrzak. Pietrzak led the MAC with 60 runs scored on the year, while Timmons followed closely behind with 57.
Timmons' success earned her the MAC Player of the Year and the MAC Defensive Player of the Year awards.
This fall, five freshmen and Iowa transfer Skylinn Pouge have mixed in well with the team and the goals of fighting for a MAC Championship in 2026.
The Cardinals face top competition in SFU and Indiana Tech.
Ohio University
Holding the No.2 spot in the MAC Tournament for the third straight year, the Bobcats are prepping this fall to be first in the standings.
After a 37-19 season that ended in the MAC championship game against top-seeded Miami 8-2, head coach Jenna Hall has added three strong transfers plus six freshmen to bolster the lineup.
Rylee McDainel joins as a graduate student from San Francisco State, Hailey Massaro joins from Ohio State and East Carolina, and Kylie Gorsuch joins from Cleveland State.
The fall slate began against Ohio Dominican and Marshall. They’ll hit the road for the Ohio State Charity Classic, featuring Mount Vernon Nazarene and Case Western.
The fall slate begins on Sunday, Sept. 28, against Ohio Dominican. The doubleheader is set to begin at 12 p.m. ET at the Ohio Softball Field. The Bobcats are back in action on Sunday, Oct. 5, when they host Marshall for a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. ET at the OSF. The Bobcats close the fall season against Salem University on Oct. 12.
Akron
Coming off their first MAC softball championship appearance since 2017, the Zips return several standouts this fall who aim to replicate such success in 2026, if not surpass it.
The 2025 season, with an overall record of 28-23, came due to standouts Megan Lee and Sophia Wygast, who earned First Team All-MAC honors, and Maddie Jamrog and Andrea Day, who were named to the All-MAC Freshman Team.
Akron ended the regular season with a 2-0 series sweep over rival Kent State, but fell to Ball State in a close 5-4 matchup in the MAC Tournament.
This fall, the Zips have faced competition like Tiffin, Ashland, Gannon, and Ursuline.
Central Michigan
Although the season ended at the MAC Tournament on day one, the Chippewas still pushed to new bounds in several ways in 2025.
They ended the season with a 26-25 record and posted a 17-8 conference record, earning them the No. 3 seed.
With coaching promotions, additions, four freshmen, and one new transfer, Alexa Carter from Purdue Fort Wayne, Central Michigan is looking to have another stellar year, etching the history books.
Over the last six seasons leading CMU, the Chippewas' pitching staff, under the direction of newly promoted associate head coach Sara Driesenga, has consistently thrived in the statistical categories.
CMU has held opponents to a .289 batting average over the last six seasons combined, ranking sixth in the league. The team also ranks fourth in strikeouts (1,312, 218/season) and has a strikeout-to-hit ratio of 0.63. The 218.7 strikeouts per season are also fourth-best in the conference.
Faith Hensley joins as an assistant coach this fall as well, after spending the 2023 season playing her graduate year for Alabama and making a Women’s College World Series appearance.
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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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