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Binghamton University Athletics

Rachel Carey sixth

Carey ranks sixth in the NCAA in batting for 2026 season

| By: David O’Brian (dobrian@binghamton.edu)
Rachel Carey

Bearcats appear in several team and individual categories

VESTAL, N.Y. – With the 2026 softball season officially in the books, the NCAA has released its final team and individual statistics. Sophomore third baseman Rachel Carey - who ended the season with a .468 batting average - posted the sixth-highest mark in the nation. The sophomore standout also ranked fifth in the nation with 0.40 doubles per game and No. 34 with an .854 slugging percentage.

Sixth place represents the highest national ranking a Binghamton softball player has ever received in terms of batting average. Jessica Phillips - who will be inducted into the Binghamton Athletic Hall of Fame this coming fall - was ranked No. 16  in 2011(.435). Jessica Rutherford, meanwhile, was No. 18 in 2016 (.441) and No. 19 in 2018 (.432). 

The .486 batting average posted by Carey is also the second-best mark in Binghamton program history as well as the fifth-highest in America East Conference history. She also broke the Binghamton single-season record with 74 hits and her 19 doubles ranked second all time.

The 2026 campaign was a historic one for Carey. She became just the second player in America East Conference history to be named both its Player of the Year and Tournament Most Outstanding Player during the same season. Carey was also named first-team NFCA All-Northeast Region and was selected to the ECAC All-Star Team.

Two other Binghamton players appeared in the final 2026 NCAA Softball individual stat rankings. Graduate student outfielder Darien McDonough ranked No. 35 with 0.33 doubles per game while junior catcher Elisa Allen was No. 45 with 0.35 home runs per game.

With 46 career home runs, Allen is Binghamton's all-time program leader and is also tied for first all time in America East Conference history. As for McDonough, her 15 doubles tied for the sixth-highest total in Binghamton program history.

In the final 2026 NCAA Softball team rankings, Binghamton was No. 13 with 1.81 doubles per game, No. 36 with 0.47 double plays per game as well as No. 50 with a .518 slugging percentage.

Binghamton broke the program record with 85 doubles during the 2026 season. The Bearcats' .518 slugging percentage represented the second-best mark in program history. Defensively, three of Binghamton's double plays took place on May 9 during the America East championship game against UMass Lowell.

The Bearcats repeated as America East champions in 2026 and earned their second straight bid to the NCAA Tournament. Over the past three seasons, Binghamton has won two conference titles (2025 & 2026) as well as a pair of regular-season crowns (2024 & 2025).

 
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