The No. 1-seeded Georgia Gwinnett College will begin play in the 2026 Continental Athletic Conference Softball Championship tournament on Wednesday, April 29, at the Grizzly Softball Complex, starting at 5 p.m.

The Grizzlies (26-22) are scheduled to face the winner of the game between No. 4 seed Alice Lloyd College (Kentucky) and No. 5 seed Carolina University (North Carolina) that's taking place earlier in the day.

The five-team double-elimination tournament is scheduled to continue through Saturday, May 2. The champion will receive the league's automatic bid to the Opening Round of the NAIA national tournament.

CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

The tournament schedule is:

Wednesday, April 29
Game 1: No. 4 seed Alice Lloyd College (Kentucky) vs. No. 5 seed Carolina University (North Carolina), noon
Game 2: No. 2 seed Florida National University vs. No. 3 seed Westcliff University (California), 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 1 seed Georgia Gwinnett College vs. Winner of Game 1, 5 p.m.

Thursday, April 30
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 11 a.m.
Game 5: Winner of Game 2 vs. Winner of Game 3, 3 p.m.
Game 6: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 1
Game 7: Loser of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6, 11 a.m.
Game 8: Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 7, 3 p.m.

Saturday, May 2
Game 9: If necessary game between same two teams as Game 8, 11 a.m.

GGC, seeking its ninth straight tournament championship, concluded the regular season by winning two of three home games last weekend against Thomas University (Georgia).

Sophomore outfielder Casey Beaver leads the Grizzlies with a .415 batting average, 41 runs scored and 36 stolen bases. Senior infielder Sara Roussel has driven in 29 runs and is hitting at a .382 clip.

Senior first baseman Savannah Jenkins has connected on four home runs and produced 44 RBI.

Inside the circle, senior Kailyn Berry has a 13-5 record, 2.20 earned run average and 64 strikeouts. Freshman Tatum Helsom has won 10 mound games and leads the team with 82 strikeouts.

Alice Lloyd (34-12) comes into postseason play after winning its last 12 games of the regular season. Abby Maynard paces the Eagles' offense with a .410 batting average. Arin Rife has hit four home runs and driven in 46 runs. She also stands 15-6 with a 1.91 ERA inside the pitching circle. Brooke Baker has scored 35 runs and is hitting at a .347 clip. Pitcher Kinna Justice has won 11 games and recorded 68 strikeouts across 22 starts.

Carolina (14-28) dropped both games of last Wednesday's doubleheader against Montreat College (North Carolina) to conclude the regular season. The Bruins are led by Nathaly Ochoa with a .483 batting average and 49 runs scored. Emma-Lea Cabral has hit seven runs and driven in 41 runs. Chloe Herbster is hitting at a .362 clip with four doubles and four triples. Pitcher Anni Bergmeier has won seven games and tossed 11 complete games while Madison Hamilton stands 5-12 with 43 strikeouts across 19 starts.

Other future GGC opponents in the CAC Championship could include Florida National (24-15), which is 6-4 across its final 10 games. Those recent losses came against NCAA Division I Palm Beach Atlantic University (Florida) and nationally ranked St. Thomas University (Florida). Gianna Hall has connected on eight home runs and driven in 34 runs. Alyssa Julien is batting .319 and has scored 26 runs. Alisha Lanyon has driven in 17 runs and collected seven stolen bases. Pitcher Brunella Beteta is 11-8 with a 1.81 ERA and 72 strikeouts. Sophia White has recorded 83 strikeouts and stands 12-6 across 19 starts.

Meanwhile, Westcliff (19-21) won its last five games, including a doubleheader sweep against the University of La Sierra (California) last Friday. Madison Mendez leads the Warriors with a .362 batting average and 26 RBI. She has a 7-12 record inside the pitching circle with 78 strikeouts across 22 starts. Alyssa Patlan has six triples and is hitting at a .344 clip. Rachel Varela has eight stolen bases and scored 22 runs.