Softball On SI

UT Tyler Wins Back-to-Back Division II Softball National Titles

Allison Smith|
UT-Tyler Softball wins the 2025 Division II Softball National Championship in back-to-back season.
UT-Tyler Softball wins the 2025 Division II Softball National Championship in back-to-back season. | UT Tyler Athletics

UT Tyler defeated the University of Tampa on Wednesday, 3-0, to win its second Division II softball national title, going back-to-back.

The Patriots join elite company as the fifth school in Division II softball history to win back-to-back titles along with California (PA) (1997 and 1998), Kennesaw State (1995 and 1996; now a Division I institution), Cal State Bakersfield (1988, 1989, and 1990), and Cal State Northridge (1983, 1984, 1985).

UT Tyler Softball posed after winning their first NCAA Division II title in 2024.
UT Tyler Softball posed after winning their first NCAA Division II title in 2024. | UT Tyler Athletics

Interestingly enough, UT Tyler won another championship in 2016 as a Division III institution before it made the leap to Division II. Head coach Mike Reed has won all three of these national titles for UT Tyler during his historic career with the program that began in 2005.

Softball is not alone in its championship pursuit as UT Tyler baseball clinched a spot in the Division II World Series on Sunday, May 25. Patriots baseball opens up their World Series play on May 31 against Northwest Nazarene.

Championship Series Game Two: UT Tyler 3, Tampa 0

After a 6-0 win on on Tuesday, May 27, UT Tyler needed to put Tampa away to win their second consecutive national title. And they did just that.

The second game in the championship series remained scoreless until the fourth inning when the Patriots pushed across two runs off two doubles from catcher Taryn Barney and third baseman Miia Campos. UT Tyler scored again in the fifth inning off a double to left center field from right fielder Ka'Lyn Watson.

Three runs secured the win for the Patriots as Primrose Aholelei shined again in the circle. Aholelei pitched seven scoreless innings with only one hit, one walk and 12 strikeouts. Over the championship series, Aholelei compiled an impressive two hits, 17 strikeouts, and four walks in her shutout 14 innings.

More News: UT Tyler Takes Game One in the Division II Softball National Championship Series

More News: Division III Softball World Series Preview: Meet the Final 8 Teams

More News: 11 Must-Watch Players in the 2025 Women’s College World Series

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Allison Smith
ALLISON SMITH

Allison Smith is an expert in leadership and organizational behavior in collegiate and professional women’s sports. Smith is a professor (Georgia State University), researcher, and writer. Smith holds a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee in Kinesiology and Sport Studies. Smith’s research centers on combatting the underrepresentation of women leaders in sport, lack of organizational structure for work life integration for sport employees, and lack of programming and oversight for preparing athletes to transition to life after sport. Since graduating with a bachelor’s in journalism in 2011, Smith has sought opportunities to write about sports as a contributing writer focused on the growth of women’s collegiate, Olympic, and professional sports in this new age and movement for multiple outlets including Athletic Director U, and now Forbes.com. As a former Division I and II pitcher and Division III pitching coach Smith will bring unique insight and expertise to Softball on SI.

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