AUSTIN, Texas — The Wagner softball team will make its NCAA Tournament debut on Friday, May 15, as they take on No. 1 Texas in the Austin Regional at the Red & Charline McCombs Field.
 
NCAA Regional Format:
The 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament regionals utilize a double-elimination bracket consisting of four teams. The winners of the first two games will play each other on Saturday, May 16 at 1 p.m. EDT, while the losers will play at 3:30 p.m. EDT. Wagner will continue to play in the regional until it loses two games, and will take on either Baylor or No. 8 Wisconsin in its second game.

Season Recap:
The Seahawks finished third in the NEC standings with a 14-10 record in the conference. The Green and White won five out of eight NEC series, including a sweep of New Haven, and taking two of three against Stonehill, Mercyhurst, Le Moyne, and Saint Francis. Wagner clinched the No. 3 seed of the NEC Tournament after their first win against the Red Flash on May 2. 

In the NEC Tournament, Wagner rattled off three straight come-from-behind wins to capture its first ever NEC Softball Championship. 

The tournament started with a 3-1 win against No. 2 CCSU, where the Seahawks scored a run in each of the last three innings to erase a 1-0 deficit. In the winners bracket, Wagner took down top seed and tournament host LIU with three runs in the final inning to come back from down 6-5 and win 8-6. Finally, in the championship game, the Seahawks found themselves down 4-2, but scored three runs in their last two turns at bat in the fifth and sixth innings to secure the title, and a spot in the NCAA Softball Tournament. 

Junior third baseman Sydnie Trujillo led the way for the Seahawks with seven hits, three doubles, a home run and seven RBIs, which netted her NEC Tournament MVP honors. Junior pitcher Karson Zavala, freshman pitcher Samantha Lotus, and junior second baseman Leilani Gonzales also earned spots on the NEC All-Tournament Team.

NEC Awards:
The NEC named Zavala as the conference's Pitcher of the Year, as well as an All-NEC First Team performer. Trujillo and sophomore designated player Alayna Giampolo joined the southpaw on the All-NEC First Team. Gonzales picked up All-NEC Second Team honors, and Lotus joined center fielder Ava Nawrocki as the two Seahawks on the NEC All-Rookie team.

Scouting Texas:
Last season, the Longhorns defeated Texas Tech in the Women's College World Series championship round to win their first ever national title in softball. This season, they earned the no. 2 overall seed in the tournament after capturing the SEC Tournament Title, and finished as the third-ranked team in the nation in the latest NCAA Softball poll.

Texas had eight players earn All-SEC honors at the end of the regular season, including junior infielder Katie Stewart, who took home the SEC Player of the Year. Stewart and three others earned spots on the first team, three more Longhorns earned spots on the second team, and senior Reese Atwood was named to the SEC All-Defensive team at catcher.

How To Watch:
Wagner's first tournament game will start at 4 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 15 streaming on ESPN+. All games in the regional will be played at Red & Charline McCombs Field in Austin, TX, and will air on the networks of ESPN, and stream on the ESPN App.