The University of Mount Union softball team had a season to remember. The team made history in more than just one way. Overall, the team had a successful winning record of 35-9. During the regular season, the team dominated their opponents and went 15-1 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) action. Winning the OAC regular season, the Purple Raiders hosted the OAC tournament. Although the team fell short in the OAC tournament, that did not stop these ladies from a dominant postseason run. Receiving an at-large bid, the Purple Raiders made their way into the NCAA tournament, and for the first time in school history, hosted Regionals. The Purple Raiders won their first game against Lebanon Valley 7-2, then fell short in their second game of Regionals against Christopher Newport with a score of 5-8. The loss lit a fire within the Raiders as they battled their way out of the losers bracket, defeating Penn College 13-2. They then had to face Christopher Newport twice, the Raiders had their backs against the wall. The team did not fold under pressure, instead they soared. They defeated Christopher Newport twice with scores of 9-1 and 6-1 to bring home the first Regional Championship in program history. Little did they know the history making was not done yet. 

With winning Regionals, the Purple Raiders were now onto Super Regionals for the first time in school history. Mount Union was then able to host Super Regionals and stay at home in Alliance, Ohio, which really helped put Mount Union on the map. UMass Dartmouth traveled from Massachusetts to take on the Raiders. Mount Union had a stellar day against UMass Dartmouth sweeping the competition with scores of 5-2 and 4-1. The team did something they had been working on the past four years. Mount Union was crowned Super Regional Champions, and earned themselves a spot on the biggest DIII softball stage, the Women’s College World Series. As a former member of the team, making it to that stage of competition has been a goal of this team over the past four years and to watch goals become reality was an incredible experience.

The Purple Raiders traveled down to Salem, Virginia and were suddenly a part of the top 8 DIII softball teams in the country. Out of the 8 teams down in Virginia at the World Series, Mount Union was the only team that had not been a part of the World Series before. An underdog is still a dog and that is exactly the position Mount Union was in. The girls were loving every minute of the experience. There was a banquet where senior Emily Denney was able to represent Mount Union on stage, media day when Coach Meghan Simons and seniors Sydney Mercer, Faith Reicosky, and Kendyll Cahill talked to the press, and of course, swag bags for all athletes. This was a once in a lifetime moment for these athletes that others can only dream of having, and these girls were taking advantage of every moment. 

When it was time to take the field, the Raiders were ready to lay everything on the line. The Purple Raiders battled with everything in them, and played some incredible softball games. They lost their first game to Simpson with a score of 3-4 and their second game with a score of 2-3 against Belhaven. Just like that, their season is over, but there is nothing to hang their heads about as they have so much to be proud of this season. The 2026 Mount Union softball team accomplished more this season than any other season in school history. This team will be remembered for years to come, and will inspire the next generation of Mount Union athletes.