INDIANAPOLIS -- The Caldwell University softball team earned the #4 seed in the 2026 NCAA Division II Championship East 1 Region and will compete in the four-team double elimination bracket hosted by Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, N.H. The Cougars secured an at-large bid after finishing the season with a 29-19 record and finishing as in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference regular season champion.
 
Caldwell faces No. 5 Assumption (30-25) from the Northeast 10 Conference in the opening game on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. at Melissa Bisaccia Field, the home of the host and No. 1 seeded Franklin Pierce Ravens. The other game of the day features FPU vs. No. 8 Mercy, an at-large selection out of the East Coast Conference.
 
The Cougars will be making their 17th appearance in the NCAA DII Championship and first since 2023.

The squad features the CACC Pitcher of the Year, sophomore Haleigh Fisher (Smyrna, N.Y.) and seven other members of the All-CACC Teams:

First Team:
Fisher, pitcher (11-3, 2.46 ERA)
Junior center fielder Kenzie Nazionale (Ontario, Calif.) (.347, 37 runs, 29 SB.

Second Team:
Sophomore catcher Emily Kurth (Toms River, N.J.) (.316, 2 HR, 35 RBI)
Freshman 1B Emerson Jarrard (Carlsbad, Calif.) (.301, 3 HR, 10 2B)
Sophomore 2B Maddie Matkosky (Horseheads, N.Y.) (.333, 26 runs, 16 RBI)
Freshman RF Kendall Mazur (Millville, N.J.) (.367, 22 RBI, 16 SB)
Junior pitcher Katie O'Connor (Charlottesville, Va.) (13-6, 3.49 ERA)
Sophomore catcher Amanda Preston (Warwick, R.I.) (selected as Utility - player) (.306, 3 2B, 19 RBI).

Caldwell has won 28 of its last 36 games, and was ranked No. 4 in the most recent NCAA Division II East Region poll, issued last week. The Cougars advanced to the CACC Tournament Championship Day before falling to University of Bridgeport on Saturday in New Castle, Del.

In the other half of the region, East Region 2 will be hosted by second-seeded Adelphi and includes No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas, No. 6 Southern New Hampshire and No. 7 Bridgeport. The winners of the East 1 and East 2 Regionals will compete in a best-of-three Super Regional at the higher seed next week, for a spot in the eight-team National Championship tournament.

Caldwell defeated Assumption, 1-0, on March 8 in Daytona Beach, Fla., in the one meeting between the schools this season. Head Coach Lindsay Mayer's Cougars are 5-6 against the East field (2-0 vs. Mercy, 1-3 vs. Bridgeport, 1-1 vs. STAC, 0-2 vs. Adelphi).

Additional game times, live stats, streaming links, and tournament information will be announced on CaldwellAthletics.com as they become available.