NEW LONDON, Conn. — 

The United States Coast Guard Academy softball team is set to begin their 2026 season on Sunday, March 8th, when they take on the University of Pikeville and Martin Luther College as part of the annual Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Bears will play eight games during the upcoming week as part of the tournament.

USCGA softball slotted into the sixth spot of the 2026 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Preseason Poll, which was right in the middle of the 11-team pack. The Bears went 16-20-1 last season with a 9-11 record in NEWMAC games, splitting all of their in-conference match-ups besides a pair of wins at Smith College and a pair of losses against Springfield College and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The team's efforts earned them a trip to the NEWMAC Tournament as the #7 seed, where they advanced from the play-in game with a 7-0 victory over Emerson College before being bounced from the winner's bracket with a 2-3 loss to Springfield and then eliminated from contention with a 3-4 loss to Wheaton College.

Leading the team from the dugout will be head coach Arielle Porter, returning for her sixth season as head coach of the Bears with an 85-67-1 record. She is joined once again by assistant coaches Megan Godwin (6th season) and Dana Fleischman (16th season), while program alum Mariah Dewey '23 will make her coaching debut. Dewey was a three-time All-NEWMAC player during her time in New London, being named to First Team while posting a slashline of .394/.445/.657 in 289 at-bats as the team's shortstop.

Four players will take up the mantles of captain for this year's team: seniors Dana Walker (Macon, Ga.) and Maura Murphy (Bristow, Va.) and juniors Abriana Schmutz (Marysville, Ohio) and Mack Murnane (Castle Hayne, N.C.). Walker and Schmutz return as the team's resident All-NEWMAC selections from last season, with Walker making Second Team and Schmutz earning First Team recognition. Walker has been one of the NEWMAC's top pitchers since her freshman year and went 14-9 last season with a 1.90 earned run average and league-leading 152 strikeouts. Schmutz broke out in 2025 to become one of the conference's top hitters, batting .387 with a .443 OPS. The Ohio product tallied 46 hits, just shy of becoming the 21st cadet-athlete in program history to rack up 50 base knocks in a season.

Murphy was a serviceable bat as the Bears' starting right fielder last year, hitting .273 with a .304 OBP, including a huge sixth-inning home run in the first game of a doubleheader at Clark University that opened the floodgates for a 6-0 victory over the Cougars. Murnane hit the ground running in her first season of collegiate softball as a sophomore with a .308 average while leading the Bears with 53 total bases, including a pair of home runs. The North Carolinian was a doubles machine, with her 12 two-baggers ranking within the top 20 for a single season in program history

Rounding out the Bears' senior class are Bridget Bartz (Arlington, Va.) and Emma Behel (Ellicott City, Md.). Bartz experienced a huge breakout as a junior by slashing .353/.404/.494 in 85 at-bats, leading the team with 18 runs batted in, sharing the team-lead in homers with Murnane, and playing all-over the infield. Behel provided solid depth in the circle with her floating change-up and in the lineup with a .257 batting average.

Five cadet-athletes return to make up the team's Class of 2028, with Hayden Reilly (Prosper, Tex.) leading the charge after being one of the NEWMAC's top rookies just a season ago. Reilly slashed .296/.369/.400 in her first season of collegiate play, with her 34 hits being the second-most on the team behind Schmutz; the Texan can also deal in the circle when needed. Lauren Ragonese (Liverpool, N.Y.) returns after a solid debut that saw her hit .275 with a .333 OBP as the team's primary second base.

Madeline Kibler (Effingham, Ill.) will see time at the corners this season after putting in a lot of work behind the plate as a freshman, returning with some of the best eyes on he team by way of her squad-leading 17 walks and a solid .348 OBP. Rounding the sophomores out are Olivia Garcia (Oxford, Conn.), who provided key depth at first base and in the line-up last season as a lefty bat, and Zoey Cascio (Burke, Va.), who will make her long-awaited collegiate debut in the outfield after missing all of last season due to injury.

Finally, USCGA softball welcomes a six-person freshman class into their ranks. Catcher and infielder Abby Steele (Decatur, Tex.) will be a name to watch behind the plate; Caitlynn Gibson (Niskayuna, N.Y.), Ainsley Holobob (Yaphank, N.Y.), Ella Stolarzyk (Danville, Calif.) and Sage Svalestad (East Hampton, Conn.) will all provide solid depth between all infield and outfield positions; and right-handed pitcher Zoey Lynn (Nokomis, Fla.) will be a presence in the circle.

"2026 brings a fresh opportunity for this program as we return a strong core of upperclassmen in Bartz, Walker, Murphy, Schmutz, and Murnane. Our incoming fourth class adds energy and competitiveness that ?will make us better from day one," says Coach Porter. "Steele will be a steady presence behind the plate, guiding our pitching staff, while Gibson, Holobob, Stolarzyk, and Svalestad will give us versatility and strength across the infield and outfield. Kibler and Reilly will lead the field, and with Lynn adding depth in the circle, this is a team that's driven and ready to compete."

USCGA softball's full 2026 schedule can be viewed here.