MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The 2026 Summit League Softball Championship opens Wednesday, May 6, at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Hosted by St. Thomas in its first season eligible for postseason play, the four-day event will award the champion an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
All championship games can be streamed live on the Summit League Network.
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Date | Stream/TV | Central Time
Wednesday, May 6
G1: (4) South Dakota vs. (5) Kansas City | (SLN) | 1 p.m.
G2: (3) NDSU vs. (6) SDSU | (SLN) | 4 p.m.
Thursday, May 7
G3: (1) Omaha vs. (4/5) | (SLN) | 11 a.m.
G4: (2) St. Thomas vs. (3/6) | (SLN) | 2 p.m.
G5: G3L vs. G4L | (SLN) | 5 p.m.
Friday, May 8
G6: G3W vs. G4W | (SLN) | 1 p.m.
G7: G6L vs. G5W | (SLN) | 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 9
G8: G6W vs. G7W | (SLN) | 1 p.m.
G9 (if necessary): G8W vs. G8L | (SLN) | 4 p.m.
Key: SLN (Summit League Network)
Need to Know
Location: Jane Sage Cowles Stadium (University of Minnesota)
Host: St. Thomas
Live Stats: Here
Live Stream: Summit League Network
Tickets: Tickets can be purchased online as well as on-site. Online tickets can be purchased HERE
- Adult: $15.00 plus applicable fees
- Summit League Students: $10.00 plus applicable fees (must show school ID)
- Children (K-12): $10.00 plus applicable fees
- Children Pre-K & Younger – Free
All tickets provide General Admission seating
Ticketing Questions? Call 1-800-U-GOPHER or email GopherSports@umn.edu
Merchandise: 2026 Summit League Softball Championship merchandise can be purchased at
thesummitleague.org/merch. Orders are due by Saturday, May 23, 2026 at 12 p.m. CT.
Where to Look
For anything and everything regarding the Summit League Softball championship, visit the tournament central page
here.
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AROUND THE LEAGUE
• Omaha secured back-to-back regular season titles for the first time in program history and enters the championships riding a streak of three consecutive tournament titles. This year also marks the program’s first outright regular season crown.
• The Mavericks lead the Summit in team batting average (.319), slugging percentage (.563) and ERA (2.62).
• In the circle, junior Maddia Groff leads the league with 16 wins and 164 strikeouts, anchoring a staff that has recorded a league-leading 14 shutouts.
• The Mavericks’ offense is powered by Bailey Sample (.397 avg, .503 OBP) and Taylor Sedlacek (16 HR, 45 RBI), both ranking among the league’s top hitters.
• The Tommies are eligible for their first postseason tournament as a Division I program, entering the softball championships as the No. 2 seed.
• UST’s Ella Cook has been a dominant pitcher in St. Thomas’ DI era, posting more than 400+ innings pitched and 300+ strikeouts in her career.
• Laken Lienhard leads the Summit in OBP (.526) and ranks near the top in average (.392) and OPS (1.288), while teammate Avery Wukawitz paces the league with 63 runs scored.
• UST ranks second in the league in batting average (.305), runs (321) and slugging (.549) while posting a 2.74 team ERA.
• North Dakota State locked up the No. 3 seed with a dramatic walk-off 13-12 victory over South Dakota State last Thursday, as the eight-inning contest was decided on a play at the plate.
• Bella Dean (.379 avg, 51 RBI) and Amai Hanta (.391 avg, 42 runs) lead a lineup that features multiple top-10 hitters.
• Standout freshman Jocelyn McClary has been the Bison’s top arm, posting a 2.98 ERA with 12 wins in the circle.
• South Dakota claims the No. 4 seed and ranks fifth in batting average (.272) while leading the league with 16 triples offensively.
• Pitcher Madison Evans ranks second in the league with 151 strikeouts and has logged over 150 innings to lead the pitching staff.
• Kansas City comes in as the No. 5 seed, ranking seventh in batting average (.257) but drawing 149 walks as a team.
• Delilah Robles leads the pitching staff with 141.1 innings pitched and ranks among the league leaders in workload and strikeouts (72).
• Offensively, Lauren Parker (27 walks) and a balanced lineup provide on-base production despite limited power numbers.
• SDSU enters as the No. 6 seed, leading the Summit in hits (451) and doubles (92) while hitting .304 as a team.
• Akayla Barnard leads the league with 16 home runs and ranks among the leaders in runs and RBIs, while Abby Gentry (.388 avg, 59 hits) continues to pace the offense.
• The Jackrabbits’ staff has combined for 199 strikeouts, with multiple arms contributing significant innings.
• Due to a series loss to SDSU earlier in the season, North Dakota missed the Summit League Tournament after falling on the wrong side of the tiebreaker.
RESULTS
Thursday, April 30
(RV/NR) Omaha 3, South Dakota 1*
North Dakota 2, St. Thomas 10*
South Dakota State 12, North Dakota State 13*
Friday, May 1
North Dakota 1, St. Thomas 2*
South Dakota State 4, North Dakota State 13*
(RV/NR) Omaha 4, South Dakota 5*
Saturday, May 2
(RV/NR) Omaha 13, South Dakota 4*
North Dakota 4, St. Thomas 1*
South Dakota State 2, North Dakota State 15*
*Summit League games
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