2026 Softball Season Preview
2025 record: 29-21 (13-11 Heart)
Starters returning/lost: 5/4 fielders; 1/3 pitchers
Letterwinners returning/lost: 10/12
Notable returners:
Laila Smith, Jr., Olympia, Wash.
(Second-Team All-America, .382 BA, 13 HR, 45 RBI, 33 R)
Tori Smith, Jr., Olympia, Wash.
(Letterwinner, .326 BA, 4-2 record, 32 1/3 innings)
Marin Frazee, Jr., Sioux City, Iowa
(Letterwinner, .261 BA, 33 R, 23 SB)
Rylee Riesberg, Jr., Ankeny, Iowa
(Letterwinner, .263 BA, 18 RBI, 16 R)
Notable losses:
Chelsey Huff
(All-Heart)
Ella Pierce
(All-Heart)
Madie Anderson
(All-Heart)
Laila Pelds
(All-Heart)
Notable newcomers:
Laila Gutierrez, Jr., Seminole, Texas
Breleigh Mengel, Fr., Jefferson, Wis.
Eva Viox, So., Columbia, Mo.
Mckenna Vasser, Fr., Rochester, Wash.
The Statesmen softball team will look to a versatile lineup as it hits the field in 2026.
Head Coach Laura North, in her third season at the helm, led WPU to a 29-21 record (13-11 Heart) last year and a trip to the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship.
Laila Smith (Jr., Olympia, Wash., Elementary Education) will pace the navy and gold after earning NAIA Second-Team All-America laurels last spring.
Pitcher
Tori Smith (Jr., Olympia, Wash., Secondary Education) is the lone returner on the staff. She was not needed much in 2025 (4-2 record, 26 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings), but throughout her first two campaigns, she has recorded nearly 100 innings on the rubber.
Flanking the junior will be a trio of talented freshmen in Breleigh Mengel (Jefferson, Wis., Nursing), Austin Hitchner (McKenna, Wash., Secondary Education), and Shannon Van Rheenen (Oskaloosa, Iowa, Nursing), all of whom bring a different skillset to the circle.
Catcher
Laila Smith will again set up behind the plate, a year after hitting .382 with 13 home runs, 45 RBIs, and 33 runs scored.
Newcomers Eva Viox (So., Columbia, Mo., Exercise Science) and Mckenna Vassar (Fr., Rochester, Wash., Business Management) look to vie for time in the receiving end of the battery as well.
First Base
When they are not pitching, the trio of Tori Smith, Hitchner, and Mengel are expected to gobble up most of the innings at first base. Mengel may be placed at second base as well.
Tori Smith posted a .326 clip at the plate with three home runs, 22 RBIs, and 19 runs scored.
Second Base
Jessica Lathrop (So., Ankeny, Iowa, Exercise Science) is slated to be the starter at second, but returner Kya Butler (Sr., Newton, Iowa, Sports Management) is in the mix as well.
Lathrop hit .191 with 15 runs and seven RBIs as a freshman.
Shortstop
Marin Frazee (Jr., Sioux City, Iowa, Exercise Science), who led the team with 23 stolen bases in 2025, is back to lead the infield at shortstop. She made just six errors in 138 fielding chances (.957 fielding pct.), while hitting .261 with 33 runs scored.
Third Base
If they are not behind the dish, Viox and Laila Smith may be at the hot corner.
In addition to being available at second base, Butler, a defensive specialist, is in the running for innings at shortstop and third base as well. She hit .190 with 13 runs scored last year.
Outfield
Transfer speedster Laila Gutierrez (Jr., Seminole, Texas, Business Management) is expected to lock down center field, but could also find herself in the middle infield, if needed.
Returners Bailee Rinn (Sr., Omaha, Neb., Biology), Rylee Riesberg (Jr., Ankeny, Iowa, Exercise Science), Elyse Rios (Jr., Iowa City, Iowa, Business Management), Maci Rutledge (So., Chadron, Neb., Nursing), and Catrina Dixson (Jr., Pella, Iowa, Exercise Science) will add experience in the grass.
Riesberg leads the quintet after hitting .263 with 18 RBIs and 16 runs scored last year. Rinn hit .231 with 14 runs, while Rutledge (10 runs) and Rios (two runs) played in several 2025 contests as well.
Vassar will join fellow newcomers Leah Conlon (Fr., Sioux City, Iowa, Exercise Science) and Kali Washburn (Fr., Center Point, Iowa, Human Resource Management) who are seeking to contribute in their first seasons in the navy and gold.
Schedule
William Penn will again be indoors for its first few weeks of the season with tournaments in Rosemont, Ill. and Sioux Center. The season begins Thursday at the Rosemont Dome tournament against Judson and Cornerstone.
Sticking to tradition, spring break will be spent in Arizona as WPU will take on 10 opponents.
The Statesmen open both their 14-game home slate and Heart schedule on March 14 against Peru State. The squad, after 28 contests, will hopefully have earned a placement in the eight-team Heart Championship that will be held April 30-3 in Cedar Rapids.
