Waterville, Maine — The Colby Softball team begins its postseason run this weekend as the No. 3 seed in the 2026 NESCAC Softball Championship. The Mules will face off against No. 6 seed Trinity College in the quarterfinal round on Saturday, May 9, at 12:00pm. The eight-team, single-elimination tournament is being hosted by Bowdoin College in Brunswick. 

In Hartford back on April 26th, the Mules and Bantams split their regular-season doubleheader with Colby taking a 6-4 victory in the opener before falling 4-3 in a tightly contested nightcap. The two teams have met once before in the NESCAC Tournament with the Bantams registering a 10-1 (6 inn.) win in the 2024 quarterfinal.

The Mules enter the tournament with an impressive 25-10 overall record, the most wins in a season in program history. The previous mark was 24 wins in 2023. This will be Colby's fifth consecutive postseason appearance and is their first time holding the three seed in the current tournament format. 

Colby's offensive identity is built on high-contact hitting and speed, led by three-time All-NESCAC selection Carissa Cassidy. The senior outfielder leads the team with a .496 batting average, .724 slugging percentage and .522 on base percentage, including eight triples on the year. Cassidy also has 24 stolen bases this season and is among the conference leaders in almost all hitting statistical categories. 

The lineup features several other heavy hitters, including Juliana Kiley who has provided the primary run production with a team-high 36 RBIs, while Caroline DeSimone has delivered a team-best eight home runs to go along with 28 RBIs. 

The Mules' success in the circle has been driven by a versatile three-pitcher rotation that leads the NESCAC in earned run average (2.38). Sophomore Sophia Meade anchors the staff with a 10-2 record, a 1.62 ERA, and 70 strikeouts. A three-time NESCAC Pitcher of the Week this season, Meade is recently coming off a dominant no-hitter against Bates. Senior KC DeSarno has provided veteran leadership and key wins over ranked opponents, while first-year Sharlotte Stazinski has emerged as a shutdown presence (1.92 ERA) to help Colby maintain its conference-leading pitching marks. The staff's consistency, paired with a tight defense, has been the cornerstone of Colby's historic 25-win campaign.

The winner of Saturday's quarterfinal at 12:00pm will advance to the semifinals later that afternoon at 5:00 p.m. to face the winner of No. 2 Middlebury and No. 7 Bates.

Fans can follow alongside the action using the live stats and live video links as well as check out the NESCAC Championship central page for more information on the tournament.