The No. 3-seeded Georgia Gwinnett College softball team is preparing to face No. 2 seed College of Coastal Georgia for the second time this season when the two teams square off in the NAIA Opening Round's Hattiesburg (Mississippi) Bracket, being hosted by William Carey University, on Monday, May 11, at 3 p.m. central time.
The winner advances to play a winner's bracket game on Tuesday, May 12, at 3 p.m. while the loser's battles for its postseason survival in a noon game. The tournament continues through Thursday, May 14. The tournament champion will be among 10 teams advancing to the 2026 NAIA World Series.
Joining the Grizzlies and Mariners in the five-team double-elimination Hattiesburg Opening Round tournament are William Carey, the tournament's top seed, No. 4 seed Marian University (Indiana) and No. 5 seed Columbia College (Missouri).
The Grizzlies (29-22) swept through the Continental Athletic Conference Championship tournament, defeating Florida National University 4-3 on May 1. The team, which received votes in the final NAIA regular-season poll, is making its 11th straight postseason appearances and is in search of its fourth straight trip to the NAIA World Series.
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 31 runs and is hitting at a .399 clip.
Senior first baseman
Savannah Jenkins has connected on four home runs and produced 46 RBI. Junior third baseman
Morgan McQuagge is hitting at a .338 clip in starting 47 games.
Inside the pitching circle, senior
Kailyn Berry has a 15-5 record, 2.13 earned run average and 77 strikeouts. She was named the CAC tournament's Most Outstanding Player after winning two games in the CAC Championship.
Tatum Helsom collected the CAC Freshman of the Year award, and has won 11 games and leads the team with 82 strikeouts.
Coastal Georgia (37-12, ranked No. 18 nationally) scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on McKenzie Collins' home run, with two outs, to defeat Georgia Gwinnett 3-2 on April 17 in Brunswick, Georgia. It was the team's last road game of the regular season.
The Mariners received an at-large bid to the national tournament from The Sun Conference. Rylee Mills leads the squad with a .396 batting average and 15 doubles. She also is 20-6 as a pitcher with a 2.10 ERA across 30 appearances. Rily Andrews has hit four homers and driven in 42 runs. Kaitlyn Carolino has scored a team-high 52 runs. Pitcher Emilia Clemons has posted a 12-3 record in 23 games.
