Simply put, the Binghamton softball program is in an outstanding position heading into the 2026 season.

After years of coming close, the Bearcats finally won the America East championship last year and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. Binghamton went 36-14 (16-2 AE), swept both the conference's regular-season and tournament crowns and finished the year ranked No. 17 in the D1Softball.com mid-major poll.

This year, the Bearcats return six all-conference selections including the America East's Pitcher, Player and Rookie of the Year. They are the unanimous choice to place first in the conference, have seven preseason all-conference players on their roster and are ranked No. 16 in the D1Softball.com Preseason Mid-Major Poll.

"Coming off a championship season, we are excited to get back onto the field and play Binghamton Softball," head coach Jess Bump said. "We have a good mix of veteran leaders, emerging returners and a set of newcomers who will make an impact right away."

Binghamton clubbed a program-best 68 home runs last year and its 286 runs scored represents the third-best total in school history. The Bearcat pitching staff, meanwhile, struck out a program-record 325 batters. At the end of the 2025 campaign, Binghamton led the America East in batting (.304), ERA (2.80) and fielding percentage (.966). The majority of the contributors to those numbers are back in 2026.

"Our offense has the potential to be lethal with a lot of power and consistency from top to bottom and we have good experience back on the mound," Bump said. "We will be using everyone's individual strengths to put us in the position to be playing our best softball at the end of the year to ultimately compete for an America East championship and a berth to the NCAA's."

PITCHING STAFF

The Bearcats return four of their five pitchers from last season - two of which were named first-team all-conference. Seniors Brianna Roberts and Olivia Kennedy return for their final campaigns and are joined by junior Delaney Glover, sophomore Savannah McHale and freshman Taylor Cawley. 

"Our pitching staff will be an integral part of our program's success this year," Bump said. "We have award-worthy experience with both Brianna and Olivia and with how our other three pitchers have looked, we are excited about what they are going to accomplish as a group. They all have been working extremely hard and it has been great to see the connection and trust that they all have in one another. They exude confidence as a group and give the rest of our team a calming feeling playing behind them. With some good leadership and experience back - and with the addition of a freshman - we will be looking to use all of them to help us get to where we want to be."

Roberts was named the 2025 America East Pitcher of the Year as well as the Most Outstanding Player at the conference tournament. In addition, she was named first-team NFCA All-Northeast Region as well as an ECAC All-Star. Roberts went 21-4 - breaking the single-season program record for wins in the process - and struck out 165 batters. She is a preseason all-conference selection and is ranked as the 39th-best Mid-Major Player by D1Softball.com.

Kennedy joined Roberts as both a first-team all-conference pick last season as well as a preseason all-conference selection this year. She won 10 games in 2025 and was ranked No. 36 in the nation with 7.8 strikeouts per seven innings.

Glover made nine starts as a pitcher and was named the America East Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 11. She has made great strides over the past two seasons and has become a power pitcher with the capability of throwing more innings than in previous years. Glover is expected to bat for herself when she is on the mound. 

McHale posted a conference-best three saves last year and threw 2.1 scoreless innings against Stanford in the NCAA Tournament. She will continue to compliment the other pitchers with the job of locking down games in tough situations. 

Cawley, meanwhile, arrives from Archbald, Pa. and had a standout career at Valley View High School. As a senior, she was named second-team All-Region by the NFCA. Cawley was also named all-state twice during her career. She progressed well during the recent fall ball season and is expected to appear in both starting and relief roles. 

INFIELD

The Bearcats are both experienced and talented in the infield. Junior catcher Elisa Allen and senior first baseman Emma Lawson return to their positions. Redshirt junior Akira Kopec moves from shortstop to second base while sophomore Rachel Carey - the Bearcats' designated hitter last year - will be the primary third baseman. Senior Rebecca Minnichbach is the most experienced of several potential starters at shortstop. 

"Our infield has looked good during this preseason and we are excited to see them perform this spring," Bump said. "They have experience and our leaders have done a fantastic job with the freshmen who have joined the infield. In the last few seasons, our fielding percentage has continued to improve and our mission is to stay on that upward trend. They know the system very well and we expect them to cover more ground and turn more double plays than we ever have."

Allen posted a season for the ages in 2025. She broke the Binghamton single-season records with 23 home runs and 56 RBI. Allen was named the America East Player of the Year as well as third-team NFCA All-Northeast Region. In addition to being a preseason all-conference selection, Allen is ranked as the 48th-best Mid-Major Player by D1Softball.com

Lawson also posted a breakthrough season last year. She won the America East batting title with a .379 average, homered nine times, posted 16 doubles and drove in 51 runs. She joined Allen as a first-team all-conference pick, was named first-team NFCA All-Region and was also an ECAC All-Star. Lawson too is a preseason all-conference honoree and is rated as the 69th-best Mid-Major Player by D1Softball.com

Kopec is a preseason all-conference selection at her new position. In the 2025 America East Tournament, Kopec belted a walkoff home run in the Bearcats' second-round game against Bryant and was later chosen to the conference's All-Tournament Team.

Carey is the reigning America East Rookie of the Year. She was also named first-team all-conference at the designated hitter position last season and earned third-team NFCA All-Region honors. Carey batted .309 during her freshman campaign with 11 home runs and 37 RBI.

Minnichbach has made 11 starts over the past two seasons in the infield and has been one of the Bearcats' top pinch runners. In the Bearcats' second-round game against Bryant during last season's America East Tournament, she had a pair of key hits.

Sophomore Emilia Podeszwa is the other veteran at shortstop. She scored nine times as a pinch runner last year and smacked a two-run, pinch-hit home run at Colgate on April 29. Arriving from Swansea, Mass., meanwhile, is freshman Skye Dupre, who led Joseph Case High School to three straight Class 4A state championships.

Binghamton's other returning infielder is junior Sami Levine, who is on the depth chart at third base. She has belted five pinch-hit home runs during her first two seasons.

Two additional freshmen in the infield rotation are Lauren Payne and Caroline Brock. Payne is a first baseman from Lancaster, N.Y., where she was a two-time all-state selection at St. Mary's High School. Brock, meanwhile, is a third baseman from Port Washington, N.Y., where she was named All-Nassau County four times while playing for Paul D. Schreiber High School.

Versatility remains a strength of the Bearcats' infield this season. In addition to their primary positions, Lawson and Carey have both seen time at the catcher position while Dupre and Podeszwa are also on the depth chart at second base. Glover, meanwhile, is another option at first base.

OUTFIELD

The Bearcats graduated a pair of first-team all-conference outfielders in Brianna Santos (now an assistant coach at Binghamton) and Lindsey Walter. Still, the current group has shown promise heading into the season. 

"Our outfield has a completely different look than last year, but we are expecting them to continue to progress and get comfortable with each other once we get outside and play games," Bump said. "We have some of them working in multiple positions so they feel comfortable to hop in and play where needed in certain game situations.Their communication, arm strength and overall game sense has improved a lot from the fall  and we are excited to see their confidence shine once we get into the swing of things."

Graduate student Darien McDonough transferred to Binghamton from ACC-member Boston College. She made 69 starts in her four-year career with the Eagles and led the squad with a .413 on-base percentage in 2023. With the Bearcats, she is the projected starter in center field.

Moving from the infield to the outfield this season is junior Maddy Dodig. After being named second-team all-conference at second base in 2025, she is a preseason all-conference pick in her new position this year. Dodig hit .325 last year with four home runs and 24 RBI. She also ranked fourth on the team with a .402 on-base percentage. Dodig is slated to start in the right field position.

In left field, sophomore Charlotte Constantine is expected to move into the starting role. In five at-bats last year, she had four hits. As a pinch runner, she scored a pair of runs. Constantine can also slide into the center field position. 

Glover saw playing time in left field during the fall while sophomore Madi Ringus - who scored three times as a pinch runner last year - is on the depth chart in right field.

Binghamton also has four freshmen in the current outfield rotation. They include Megan Wolf, Reese Izenstark, Kali Peifer and Candice Chime.

Wolf is from Horseheads, N.Y. and was named all-state twice at Horsehead High School while Izenstark hails from Arlington Heights, Ill., where she hit .404 with eight home runs during her senior year at John Hersey High School. Peifer arrives from Lancaster, Pa. after being named all-state at Hempfield High School. Chime, meanwhile, is from North Fort Meyers, Fla. and played for the Southwest Florida Christian Academy. 

DESIGNATED PLAYER

When she is not on the mound, Glover figures to be the Bearcats primary designated hitter. Also in the mix are Levine, Payne, and Allen if not catching. 

"We have many options for DP this year, and we will be using a few different players depending on our defensive lineup," Bump said. "Regardless of who is inserted in this spot, we feel good about the consistency and power that they will bring to the line-up."

2026 SCHEDULE

Binghamton's  50-game regular-season slate includes five opponents that advanced to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, four nationally-ranked teams, six programs that finished with an RPI in the Top 75 as well as a pair of teams ranked in the D1Softball.com Preseason Mid-Major Poll. In addition, six of the Bearcats' opponents are members of Power-4 Conferences.

In addition to South Carolina, Binghamton travels to in-season tournaments at Auburn (Feb. 13-15), Coastal Carolina (Feb. 27-March 1) and Penn State (March 6-8). The schedule also includes a non-conference weekend series at Princeton (March 14-15), three non-conference doubleheaders as well as 10 home dates at the Bearcats Sports Complex Softball Facility.

Besides the aforementioned schools, other noteworthy non-conference opponents the Bearcats square off against during the in-season tournaments include Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Florida Atlantic and Illinois.

Binghamton's home-opening games take place during an America East series against UMBC (March 21-22). Other home conference series are against UAlbany (April 3-4), Maine (April 18-19) and UMass Lowell (May 1-2). The Bearcats also have non-conference home doubleheaders against Colgate (April 1) and St. Bonaventure (April 15).

On the road, Binghamton has conference series at Maine (March 28-29), Bryant (April 11-12) and UMBC (April 25-26). In addition, the Bearcats head to Cornell on April 21 for a non-conference doubleheader.

This season, the America East Tournament will be held at Maine May 6-9. The event will once again feature a double-elimination format with all six teams taking part.

"We see our 2026 schedule as more than just a set of dates - but also a challenge that we are ready to take on," Bump said. "After winning the America East championship last season, it was our program's goal to help better prepare ourselves for when we have the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Tournament again by playing a variety of top-ranked teams in the country. We are not chasing perfection but we are chasing progress, toughness and relentless effort by committing ourselves to each other every single day."