Trinity University Softball heads to California to kick off their 2026 season, their first season as a member of the Southern Athletic Association (SAA).
The Tigers are coming off of their best season in program history, where they put together a record of 32-12. Trinity placed three players on the NFCA All-Region X teams, with
Carsyn Lee (Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound) and
Mariana Garcia (Goodyear, Ariz. / Canyon View) earning second team, as well as
Ella Whitacre (Roanoke, Texas / Byron Nelson) earning third team accolades. All three of these players will return this season to continue dominating on both offense and defense.
Senior
Carsyn Lee looks to continue being an offensive threat, ending last season with an impressive 63 hits and a .447 batting average.
Hannah Boudreaux (Pearland, Texas / Shadow Creek) also had a fantastic sophomore year, scoring a team high of 40 RBIs as well as finishing with a .446 average.
Ella Whitacre bullied other teams' defence with her speed, collecting 35 stolen bases on just 37 attempts.
Josephine Koelewyn (Reno, Nev. / Academy of Arts Careers and Technology) led the 2025 pitching staff with an ERA of 2.11 and a winning record of 16-3. Koelewyn will be joined by
Jordan Arce (Thousand Oaks, Calif. / Thousand Oaks) and
Meagan Kriechbaum (Cedar Hills, Utah / Pleasant Grove) as starters, as well as
Cameron Bishop (Austin, Texas / Austin),
Heather Nugent (Huntington Beach, Calif. / Marina) and newcomer
Kate Bookidis (Austin, Texas / Bowie) in the bullpen for relief.
Trinity is led by
Bailey Wittenauer as she enters her third year as head coach, and looks to pilot this Tigers Softball program to another record breaking season. The Tigers will host two top-30 opponents, Washington-St. Louis and Tufts, in March.
SAA Preseason Poll
The Trinity Tigers have been projected to pick up second place in their new SAA conference, with Berry College being picked at the number one spot.
Preview - West Coast Opponents
Trinity Softball kicks off their season with two double-headers just outside of Los Angeles. They begin their conquest by facing The University of La Verne on February 13 at 3 PM and 5 PM, and close out their weekend against Whittier College on February 14 at 11 AM and 1 PM.
On the La Verne Leopards: Last year, La Verne closed their season with a 16-23 record, finishing sixth in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). La Verne will likely rely on sophomore second baseman Julia Miramontes for her bat, although the Leopards' top four hitters from 2025 are no longer on the roster, so there will be some fresh faces in 2026. Senior pitcher Jaidynn Alvarez will likely lead the La Verne pitching staff, which had a staff ERA of 4.30 last season.The Tigers haven't faced the Leopards since 2006, where Trinity lost 1-4.
On the Whittier Poets: Last season, the Poets closed the year with a 19-21 record, finishing eighth in the SCIAC. Senior middle infielder Kelly Nutter was named to the first team All-SCIAC, finishing with a .459 batting average. The Poets will likely look to Nutter as well as sophomore Mariah Rodriguez for offensive power, as most of their leading hitters from the 2025 season graduated. In the circle, we will likely see senior Bella Peinado and junior Alyssa Castillo throwing for Whittier. The Poets defense struggled last year with a staff ERA of 4.02 and 62 errors committed. The Tigers will face the Poets for the first time since 2002, where Trinity won 8-0.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will return back to San Antonio for their first home games of the season with a double header against Whitworth on February 22nd.
