RICHMOND, Ind. – By winning the 2026 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament, the Earlham College softball team has earned a spot in the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament. The Quakers will be competing in the Angola Regional hosted by Trine University this weekend, looking to move on to the super regionals next week.
THE TEAMS
At 32-4, the Trine Thunder are the No.1 seed in the regional after winning the national championship last season. The Thunder went 3-1 in the MIAA Tournament last weekend, winning the championship game against Calvin 7-5 to secure the championship and the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Knights handed Trine two of its four losses this season, and will be playing in the Saint Mary's Regional in Minnesota this weekend. Trine has seven starters batting over .400 this season, led by senior outfielder Emma Lee who is swinging .431 with 13 home runs and 94 total bases. Senior pitcher Debbie Hill boasts a 10-1 record with a 1.67 ERA in 15 appearances. Hill leads the squad in strikeouts with 63, and has one shutout.
Rochester enters the regional as the No.2 seed with a 35-8 overall record. The Yellow Jackets came through the loser's bracket in the LLC Tournament to win with two wins over Ithaca College on Saturday. Junior Riley Laygo leads the team with a .534 batting average, 16 home runs and 20 doubles. Laygo has scored 65 runs with 69 RBI and 155 total bases. In the circle, senior Molly Broccolo has a 19-5 record with five complete games, two shutouts and a 2.41 ERA through 133 innings. Senior Maddie White has a 13-3 record with four complete games and four saves, with 102 strikeouts in 97 innings of work.
Loras College comes in at the No.3 seed after earning an at-large bid with a 29-14 record. The Duhawks fell 6-1 to Simpson College in the ARC Tournament in Iowa. Loras is led by sophomore Kiya Steger with a .373 batting average, 10 home runs and 93 total bags. Sophomore Kaili Henning leads the team in the circle with a 1.95 ERA across 129 innings of work. Henning has a 13-6 record with four saves, 15 complete games and nine shutouts. She has struck out 143 batters.
Earlham enters as the No.4 seed after a 6-5 walk-off win over Transylvania in the HCAC Tournament last weekend. The Quakers enter the NCAA Tournament in just their third season of action after the program was started in 2023.
THE PLAYERS
Bo Shelton leads the Quakers at the plate this season, hitting .435 with 11 home runs, 18 doubles and 110 total bases. Shelton has scored 49 runs with 54 RBI and a 1.350 OPS. The junior has also swiped 11 bags. With 39 starts at shortstop this season, Shelton also leads the Quakers with 59 assists, turning nine double plays.
Mack Harvey leads the team in batting average, swinging .459 with 13 doubles and one home run. Harvey has served as the team's leadoff batter in conference play, scoring 31 runs with 29 RBI. Harvey is a perfect 6-6 on stolen bases, and has a .986 fielding percentage at first base.
Macie Ferguson was sensational defensively for the Quakers in the HCAC Tournament. The outfielder is hitting .432 on the season, with 16 stolen bases, and four triples. Ferguson has scored 32 runs. Defensively, her speed gives range in the outfield, contributing to a .947 fielding percentage.
Shelby Hill brings explosiveness to the lineup as the primary backstop. The junior has six home runs and 13 doubles with a .400 batting average on the year. Hill has driven in 29 runs this season, scoring 25 herself. Hill caught runners stealing second in both games against Transylvania for the HCAC title on Sunday.
Morgan Cooksey leads the Quakers in the circle with an 11-3 record. Since returning from injury in April, Cooksey is 8-1 with five complete games. The junior leads the rotation with a 2.29 ERA, 10 complete games, two shutouts and a 1.13 WHIP. Cooksey holds opposing hitters to a .241 batting average in 85 innings pitched.
THE SCHEDULE
The Quakers are set to take on Trine on Thursday at 11 am. If Earlham wins on Thursday, they will advance in the winner's bracket to take on the winner of Loras and Rochester on Friday at 11 am. A loss in game one means the Quakers would head to the loser's bracket to take on either Loras or Rochester on Friday at 1 pm. A win in the loser's bracket on Friday would send the Quakers back into action with a game at 4 pm. The Regional final is set for Saturday at 11 am, with a final game scheduled for 1:30 pm if needed.
HOW TO FOLLOW
goearlham.com will have up-to-the minute information on schedule cancelations and alterations all season long. Additionally, links for live video and live stats will be published as they become available. Fans can track the entire tournament at the Tournament homepage on TrineThunder.com
