Something to cheer about: Tori Cervantes in the win over Santa Clara that locked up the West Coast Conference Title outright for the Gaels / Photo by Tod Fierner for SMC Athletics
Saint Mary’s Softball Is Headed to Eugene for NCAA Regional as a No. 3 Seed. They Face Mississippi State on Friday
The Gaels are making their third trip to the NCAA Regional. They earned an automatic bid by winning the WCC Title outright.
The Gaels will be dancin’ up north! The Saint Mary’s Softball team will be making its third appearance in an NCAA Regional in Eugene, Oregon in a tournament that will feature the host Oregon State Ducks, two-seed Mississippi State, and four-seed Idaho State. Saint Mary’s will open its postseason taking on the Bulldogs of Mississippi State on Friday, May 15 at 4:30 p.m. in the double-elimination style bracket, with their sights set on a win and a day two matchup with the winner of Oregon-Idaho State.
The Gaels have seen each of the other three teams who will be playing in their regional—though for Mississippi State it has been awhile. In one all-time meeting against the Bulldogs—back in 1997—the Gaels are 1–0. The Gaels have seen the host Ducks 22 times in program history, with their last bout coming in 2020 in Moraga. Saint Mary’s and Idaho State have squared off 14 times in program history, with the Gaels taking three of four against the Bengals last season.
The destinations and matchups for the NCAA Regional tournaments across the country were revealed on the Selection Show on Sunday at 4 p.m. Saint Mary’s hosted a watch party with the team and fans at UCU Pavilion.
Head Coach Sonja Garnett was brief in remarks after the selection. She was quick to thank all Gaels fans for their support throughout the season and told the team and the crowd, “We have some work to do this week, so get home, rest up and we can’t wait to see you all in Oregon!”
An Epic Season Continues
However the epic season for the Gaels continues in Oregon, already the 2026 Saint Mary's Softball squad has made its mark in program history. They have won 40 games—a new record for total wins. They have 15 wins in West Coast Conference play—a program best. They kicked things off with the best start in program history, going 20–10. They boast the longest win streak in program history—12 in a row. They racked up the longest home winning streak in program history—a whopping 18 in a row. They achieved the most wins over ranked opponents in a single season—three. Along the way, they earned the highest RPI ranking in program history—59th. (RPI stands for Run Percentage Index—a formula that factors in winning percentage, opponents’ winning percentages, and opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage.)
This season is the third in a row that the Gaels have earned the designation as champions. They have now won at least a share of the West Coast Conference in three consecutive years, and will be headed to their third NCAA regional in program history. Saint Mary’s locked up the WCC Title outright on Friday night with an emphatic win over Santa Clara at home.
As media reports have noted, the Gaels head into the tournament boasting some formidable bats. Among them are Hannah Ferguson, who is hitting .422 and has the second-best batting average in the WCC. There are Sam Buckley, who has clobbered 11 home runs, and Braxton Brown, who has driven in 54 RBIs. Then there’s Gael pitching—which includes Odhi Vazquez (19–4), whose 2.36 ERA is the lowest in the WCC.
Tickets for the tournament go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, May 12 at 5 p.m. Friday’s game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
