Grapevine, T.X. – Six seed University of Northwestern (UNW) won their first-ever NCCAA Softball World Series National Championship, defeating #2 Southwestern Christian University on Wednesday, May 20 at the Oak Grove Softball Complex in Grapevine, Texas.
 
Ireland Strubbe from UNW was named the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. A full list of the All-Tournament Team members can be found here.
 
GAME TWELVE: #2 Southwestern Christian University 7, #1 Columbia International University 0
 
The top two seeds in the NCCAA Softball World Series met in an elimination contest to kick off the final day of play, with #2 Southwestern Christian University defeating #1 Columbia International University 7-0 to stay alive.

• Trinity Norwood continued her hard-hitting week in Grapevine, as she brought home Kylee Coy for Southwestern Christian with a two-run shot in the top of the first inning to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
• Hannah Keele opened the top of the third inning with a double to left centerfield and would come on home to add to the SCU lead, as a Coy single and an error from Columbia International pushed the Eagles up 3-0. Coy came home to score for the second time in the contest, as Ebony Garza brought her home later in the inning, and a sac fly from Kelsie McCollom scored Norwood to push SCU ahead 5-0.
• The scoring continued for Southwestern Christian in the top of the fourth, as Keele got into scoring position after stealing second, before a Norwood single brought her home and swelled the SCU lead to 6-0.
• Norwood again came up big for the Southwestern Christian offense, recording a leadoff triple in the top of the seventh, before scoring on a wild pitch and the Eagles soared to a 7-0 advantage.
• Raleigh Stewart tried to start a rally for CIU with a single in the bottom of the seventh, but a pop out to short ended the game and Southwestern Christian took the shut out victory. 
• Norwood finished a double short of the cycle, going 4-for-4 with three runs and three RBI, recording two singles, one triple and one home run. The Eagles used four different pitchers in the win, with Jessica Czikra earning the win, going three innings, giving up three hits. Lainey King led the SCU pitchers with two strikeouts.

 
GAME THIRTEEN: #4 Wayland Baptist University 3, #6 University of Northwestern 0
 
Needing a win to stay in contention for the national championship, #4 Wayland Baptist University did just that, handing #6 University of Northwestern their first loss of the week 3-0.

• Wayland Baptist got their first two batters in the bottom of the first inning on thanks to a hit batter and a walk, before an RBI double from Berkley Bradley snuck over the head of the UNW second baseman, scoring Reagan Davis and putting the Pioneers on top 1-0.
• Northwestern saw their best chance to score in the top of the second after a double from Gabrielle Keith, but a strong defensive play from Mikenzi Carlo held her at third and WBU stayed ahead by a run.
• After a single from Brooke McLaurin and a walk from Bradley opened the bottom of the fourth for Wayland Baptist, but a fly ball to Trista Oberle was caught, who rifled the ball home in time for the out, keeping WBU at bay and up just one run.
• Northwestern again had a chance to get on the board in the top of the fifth inning, as Lani Schoper recorded a double and stole third, but Brooklyn Ray picked up a big strikeout, and a charging stop at second from Yaneli Jaramillo ended the frame with Wayland Baptist still ahead 1-0.
• Jaramillo came up big on the offensive side in the bottom of the fifth inning, as after Davis drew a walk and Mikayla Carrilo picked up a single, she brought them both home with a two-out, two-RBI double, swelling the Pioneer advantage to 3-0.
• The Eagles again had a chance to get on the board in the top of the sixth inning, as singles from Keith and Oberle and a walk drawn by Jenna Nusbaum, but WBU forced a fly out to centerfield to end the threat and keep Northwestern off the scoreboard.
• Hannah Storey tried to rally the Eagles in the bottom of the seventh, but a fly out to second ended the contest, and Wayland Baptist completed the shutout victory 3-0 and gave Northwestern their first loss of the week.
• Ray was stellar in the circle for WBU, giving up seven hits but zero runs and tallied three strikeouts in the complete game shutout win. 

GAME FOURTEEN: #2 Southwestern Christian University 10, #4 Wayland Baptist University 5
 
Meeting for the seventh time this season and in a rematch of the Central Regional championship, #2 Southwestern Christian University knocked off rival #4 Wayland Baptist University 10-5 to punch their ticket to the national championship game. 

• Mikayla Carillo wasted no time putting Wayland Baptist on the scoreboard, as her two-run homer just scraped over the outfield wall in the top of the first inning, putting the Pioneers ahead 2-0.
• Southwestern Christian answered in the bottom of the first, as the Eagles loaded the bases, and an Ebony Garza single brought home Hannah Keele, before a sac fly from Jessie Moralez scored Payton Leba, tying the contest 2-2.
• Carrillo came through with the offense once again in the top of the second inning, as a Reagan Davis double led to a Carrillo RBI single, and Wayland Baptist retook the 3-2 lead. 
• SCU loaded the bases once again in the bottom of the second inning, but they did not stay full for long, as a shot down the left field line from Sabrina Gilbert just stayed fair and cleared the bases, putting Southwestern Christian ahead 5-3.
• The offensive outburst continued for the Eagles in the bottom of the third inning, as Moralez and Kelsie McCollum reached with a pair of singles, before a ball hit by Hailey Kuhlman to left field bounced off the top of the wall and fell over for a three-run homer, and SCU flew ahead 8-3.
• Wayland Baptist responded in the top of the fourth, as Davis picked up a one out single and stole second, before coming home off another RBI from Carillo, this time a double, and the Pioneers cut the lead in half, 8-4. Carillo came home to score later in the frame, as Yaneli Jaramillo poked one to the outfield for a single, scoring her teammate and the WBU deficit shrunk to 8-5.
• Southwestern Christian added some insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth, as an RBI ground out from Garza scored Leba, before Moralez doubled down the left field line to bring home Gilbert, putting SCU ahead 10-5. McCollum looked to extend the lead with a single of her own, but a pinpoint toss from Kailee Sanchez to Davis gunned out the Eagle runner at home plate and kept the lead to five.
• SCU turned to the arm of Gretchen Wendling to close out the contest, who did so emphatically with just nine pitches, silencing the Pioneers and punching Southwestern Christian’s ticket to the title game with a 10-5 win.
• Garza led the Eagles on offense, going 3-for-4 with two RBI, while Keele went 3-for-5 with two runs, and Kuhlman went 2-for-3 with three RBI. Despite the loss Carillo went 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored, falling just a triple short of the cycle for Wayland Baptist.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: #6 University of Northwestern 4, #2 Southwestern Christian University 1
 
Six-seed University of Northwestern held #2 Southwestern Christian University to just four hits and tallied eight hits of their own to win their first NCCAA Softball World Series National Championship in program history 4-1. 

• After a pair of singles in the top of the second for Kelsie McCollom and Jessie Moralez helped Southwestern Christian load the bases, Hannah Keele showed off the speed for the Eagles from Oklahoma, beating out the throw for an infield RBI single to put SCU ahead 1-0.
• The University of Northwestern loaded the bases in the bottom of the second inning, and Lani Schoper delivered, as her two-RBI single scored Emma Westrate and Hannah Lexvold to put UNW ahead 2-1.
• Schoper tallied her second hit of the day in the bottom of the fourth inning, before Hannah Storey sent a shot all the way to the fencing around Field 4 at the Oak Grove Softball Complex, bringing Schoper in from first base to push Northwestern ahead 3-1.
• Kylee Coy looked to get the SCU offense going in the top of the fifth inning with a two-out single, but Lexvold gunned her out as she tried to steal second, ending the inning and keeping UNW ahead 3-1.
• Emma Edwards picked up a single to open the bottom of the fifth for UNW, and Trista Oberle beat out a throw to first to reach safely and allow Edwards to score, pushing the Northwestern lead to 4-1.
• The UNW defense continued to roll, and a final strikeout from Ireland Strubbe closed out the contest, as the Eagles claimed their first-ever NCCAA Softball World Series National Championship in their first trip to the tournament with a 4-1 victory.
• Schoper led Northwestern on offense in the championship win, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored.

 
Full results of all games from the 2026 NCCAA Softball World Series along with box scores can be found here.
 
About the NCCAA
Established in 1968, the National Christian College Athletic Association uses intercollegiate athletics to further the Great Commission and is committed to equipping student-athletes and coaches to make a positive impact for Christ. The NCCAA currently holds 23 national championship events, along with one national invitational for 88 member schools across 28 states and two Canadian provinces. For more information on the NCCAA, visit our website, thenccaa.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram at @thenccaa.