Softball Ready to Return to NWC Championships

The Pacific Lutheran University softball team has lofty expectations heading into the 2026 campaign after qualifying for the Northwest Conference Tournament in each of the last four seasons.

The Lutes wrapped up the 2025 season with a 27-15 overall record, going 17-11 in league play. That included opening the season with a 14-2 win over then 18th-ranked Pfeiffer University, tossing four no-hitters, including two in one day at the Spring Games, and closing the regular season on an eight-game win streak. 

PLU’s late season surge was enough to snag the fourth and final spot in the NWC Tournament before dropping games to eventual champion Linfield University (9-1) and Lewis & Clark College (4-3) to close out the year. 

The Lutes return several key pieces from last year’s squad including three of the team’s top four pitchers and the top four sluggers from a season ago. Five All-Conference players are back in uniform, including Northwest Conference Rookie of the Year Bri Sarae. 

As a first-year, Sarae led the Lutes at the plate with a .430 batting average, boasting 22 RBIs, 13 extra base hits, and stealing 12 bases. But arguably her biggest strength was behind the plate. As a catcher the First Team All-Conference selection and Pearl City, Hawaii native finished the season with a team-high 171 putouts and had 13 assists, with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Sarae was also behind the dish in some of the biggest moments of the season, catching all four no-hitters last season. 

“Bri’s high IQ and such a good presence for our pitchers. She’s doing a really good job right now.”

The Lutes also benefit from the return of Paola Garcia. A Second Team All-Conference selection in 2024, she sat out the entire 2025 season recovery from surgery. A career .348 hitter, the outfielder from Downey, California native has 69 career RBIs and 48 extra base hits, including 17 home runs which sits just two shy of 10th place on the all-time career home runs list. 

The rest of the Lute infield will skew young, with several first-years competing for starting jobs around the diamond. 

That includes Woodinville, Washington native Alex Saladin who is projected to start at third base and Ewa Beach, Hawaii native Lex Ahlo-Garcia who is slated to play shortstop.

“Saladin is a Swiss army knife. She can play anywhere on the field and anywhere you put her she raises the bar at that spot. She’s competed really well all year as a young player and she’s a student of the game. So no matter where you put her, it looks like she’s played there her whole life.”

Three Lutes will be vying for a starting role at second base between veterans Syan Yamamoto and Mya Grado and newcomer Ashlyn Sera. A senior from Waipahu, Hawaii, Yamamoto is the most experienced of the bunch, playing in 34 games last season and starting in 26. The senior scored 25 runs and had 14 RBIs last spring. A sophomore from Buckeye, Arizona, Grado started in 19 games last year, hitting .304 at the plate with eight RBIs and seven runs scored. Sera is the newest of the three contenders, joining the Lutes from Honolulu, Hawaii and Kalani High School.

“Three different people are competing for second base. They may all get opportunities at the leadoff classic just depending on how it goes after we choose a starter.”

Penciled in at first base with be Sumner, Washington native Addy Meyers. A sophomore this spring, Meyers saw action in 11 games last spring, recording 45 putouts defensively. Also competing for time in the infield will by first-year Aby Redwine. Redwine comes to PLU from nearby Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup where she was the SPSL Offensive Player of the Year.

“Our young players are elevating the level of every single position which is really cool. It’s made it difficult for some of our upperclassmen but they’ve come in and raised the level of competition everywhere.”

Outfield will carry the bulk of the Lutes’ returning experience, with Zoe Smithson, Paola Garcia, Jaycee Simpliciano, and Kamalani Doctor all projected to see significant action either in the field or the designated player position.

“Paola’s elevated everyone’s offensive expectations and the strong leadership she has on the team on the field.”

A Port Angeles, Washington native, Zoe Smithson was a Second Team All-Conference selection last season, hitting .414 at the plate with a team-high 50 RBIs. Smithson also led the team in doubles (17), triples (four), home runs (eight), extra base hits (29), runs scored (43), and stolen bases (13). 

Kamalani Doctor was also a Second Team All-League pick, hitting .408 at the dish with 21 extra base hits, eight home runs, and 33 RBIs. The Kailua Kona, Hawaii native along with Smithson were the only two players to start all 42 games last season. 

Jaycie Simpliciano rounds out the veteran outfield. The Honolulu, Hawaii native started 34 games last season and hit .338 at the plate with 22 runs scored and seven stolen bases. 

“Jaycie’s putting it all together right now in a big way, so were excited to see how that plays out for her and our team offensively this year.”

Inside the circle, the Lutes have arguable some of the best pitching in the entire NWC. Paige Wilson returns after leading the team in virtually every stat category including earned run average (3.01), wins (12), complete games (12), shutouts (six), innings pitched (116 1/3), strikeouts (112). The Carlsbad, California native was a First Team All-Conference selection and threw three no-hitters, becoming the first Lute to do that since Candace Howard in 2003.

Also back is Bellevue, Washington native Rachel Treves who threw 43 2/3 innings in the spring, including a 8-0 no-hit victory over Widener University on March 8. PLU will also rely on veteran pitchers in Mila Hargrave and Maiya Anderson. Looking to break into the circle as a first-year will be Paityn Mackin, a righthander coming to PLU from Kelso, Washington. 

Boasting a large roster of 30 student-athletes, Barrett is excited about the team’s overall cohesion and chemistry heading into the year.

“Our team chemistry is the best that it’s been in a couple of years. So we're excited about how that can translate on the field. Obviously we start off with some pretty tough competition and I think that’s what this team needs, to be tested early by really good teams. So were excited about that.”

The Lutes are the last team in the NWC to get the season going and will begin the year with 16 straight road games before the home opener on March 25 against Lewis & Clark College. That opening road swing takes the Lutes to three different states, opening the year this weekend with six games in Georgia at the NFCA Leadoff Classic before playing six games in southern California the following weekend. Pacific Lutheran opens NWC play on March 21, playing a four-game series in Forest Grove, Oregon against Pacific University.