Cullowhee, N.C. – Riding the momentum of a strong opening day, Western Carolina softball hits the road for the first time in 2026 on Friday with a three-day, five-game road swing in the Low Country Classic, co-hosted by College of Charleston and Charleston Southern.

WCU opens the tournament against Penn on Friday (Feb. 13) at 10 a.m. before squaring off against the host CofC Cougars at 3 p.m. The Catamounts face Akron on Saturday (Feb. 14) at 12:30 p.m., followed by a rematch with the host Charleston at 5:30 p.m.

The Purple & Gold finish off the weekend on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. against UConn. The first four games of the weekend will be played at the College of Charleston on Patriots' Point in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., before finishing at CSU in North Charleston on Sunday.
 
All five scheduled games will have live stats online at CatamountSports.com, with Flo Sports (paid subscription required) slated to broadcast Saturday's matchup against Charleston.

SOFTBALL MATCHUP: Penn (0-0) vs Western Carolina (2-0)
Date: Friday, Feb. 13
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Site: Softball Stadium at Patriots Point (Charleston, S.C.)
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast

SOFTBALL MATCHUP: Western Carolina at College of Charleston (4-1)
Date: Friday, Feb. 13 & Saturday, Feb. 14
Time: 3:00 p.m. (Fri.) | 5:30 p.m. (Sat.)
Site: Softball Stadium at Patriots Point (Charleston, S.C.)
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast (FRI) | Stat Broadcast (SAT)
Live Video: Flo Sports (paid subscription required) - SATURDAY

SOFTBALL MATCHUP: Akron (0-5) vs Western Carolina (2-0)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 14
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Site: Softball Stadium at Patriots Point (Charleston, S.C.)
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast

SOFTBALL MATCHUP: UConn (0-4) vs Western Carolina (2-0)
Date: Sunday, Feb. 15
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Site: CSU Softball Complex (North Charleston, S.C.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats

Twitter: @CatamountSB

About Western Carolina:
Western Carolina opened the 2026 season with an emphatic offensive statement on Wednesday afternoon as the Catamounts scored 28 runs on 27 hits for a pair of run-rule victories, 12-4 and 16-2, over North Carolina A&T at the Catamount Softball Complex.

Lily Bell tallied five hits over the two games, including her third career four-hit effort to lead the Catamounts. The junior scored six runs and posted three stolen bases. Classmates Maya McPherson and Sydney Dirks both picked up four hits in the wins, with Dirks tallying the first of three WCU homers on the day with six RBI. Senior Tate Stewman and sophomore AG Batson each had three hits, with Stewman hitting a big fly and knocking in six runs, while Batson added two doubles and four RBIs.

The 16 runs in game two win ranks among the nation leaders for single-game runs scored on the young season, as just 17 other contests throughout the early season have had more runs tallied.

Freshman Briony Bunsic, Kayden Lyda, Kimber Shambley, Autumn Russell, Sydnee Bumgarner, Amari Burce, and Emily Murphy each made their Catamount debuts in Wednesday's twin bill as all 20 Catamounts available saw action throughout the doubleheader sweep.

Scouting the Opposition – Penn Quakers:
Penn (0-0) opens its season on Friday with the tilt against WCU, as the Quakers are also set to do battle with UMass, Sacred Heart, and both CSU and College of Charleston throughout the weekend in Charleston.

Penn comes off a 2025 season in which it finished 3-35-1 under the direction of Christie Novatin, who's in her third season at the helm of the Quakers. They were tabbed eighth in the eight-team Ivy League Preseason Poll.

Sophomore outfielder Gigi Ganje returns to the lineup for the Quakers, looking to build off a .302 debut season with 35 hits, including six doubles and 16 RBIs. Senior Jade Montgomery returns as the top extra-base threat for Penn, legging out three triples and connecting on six homers, adding a team-best 20 RBIs last season.

Sophomore Ainsley Pemberton returns as the top pitcher in the circle for the Quakers, finishing the 2025 season with a 2-6 record and tallying 30 strikeouts in 55.1 innings of work.

The Catamounts and Quakers meet on Friday for just the second time in the two schools' histories, with Penn earning a tight 7-6 decision back in 2007 in a neutral-site battle that was held in Kissimmee, Fla.

Scouting the Opposition – College of Charleston Cougars:
College of Charleston (4-1) comes into the weekend on a four-game win streak with wins over George Mason, Siena, St. John's, and Central Michigan during the Cougars' first home tournament. CofC faces Akron on Thursday before two matches with WCU, a showdown against Penn, UConn, and UMass.

The Cougars were picked fourth in the two-division, 11-team CAA Preseason Poll and fourth in the six-team South Division, earning one of the six possible first-place votes. Maggie Mrowka, who was an assistant with the Cougar program the past two seasons, is in her first season at the helm in Charleston.

Sophomore catcher/outfielder Leela Langston leads the Cougars with a .529 batting average, as she's totaled nine hits and driven in five runs through the opening five games. Freshman outfielder Bronwyn Conroy joins Langston with nine hits at a .474 batting average as she's added a team-best seven steals. Sophomore infielder Hailey Seymour has already slugged a team-best three homers and tallied nine RBIs.

Sophomore Campbell Schaen has the best pitching mark for the Cougars with eight strikeouts and only two earned runs allowed in three outings. Redshirt sophomore Jules Raymond has a pair of victories, as sophomore Mackenzie Mathis has a team-best 13 strikeouts over a team-high 14.2 innings.

Mathis earned preseason All-CAA honors along with junior pitcher Ryley Kutter and senior middle infielder Austy Miller, each garnering honorable mention from the preseason All-CAA team as announced by voting from the league's coaches.

The former SoCon counterparts have met 32 times before Friday's action in the Holy City, with the Cougars leading the series 19-13. Friday marks the first time since 2022 that the two squads have met, where WCU earned a 4-2 win over Charleston, which snapped a four-game skid in the Palmetto state for the Catamounts.

Scouting the Opposition – Akron Zips:
Akron (0-5) began 2026 with a loaded opening weekend, facing the SEC's Arkansas and ACC foe Virginia, along with a pair of games against Coastal Carolina. Akron squares off with Charleston, Sacred Heart, and a pair of contests against UConn before seeing the Catamounts.

The Zips were picked fourth in the 12-team MAC Preseason Poll as they earned a first-place vote from the league's coaches. Craig Nicholson leads Akron in his fourth year at the helm, having spent time at Arizona State, Ball State, and Texas A&M-Kingsville before making the trek to the Buckeye State.

Sophomore third baseman/outfielder Andrea Day leads the Zips with a .462 batting average, as she's recorded six hits, including a triple, through the early stages of the 2026 season. Senior outfielder Megan Lee has tallied four hits, with junior utility Lily Sullivan picking up three hits, including a two-bagger.

Junior pitcher Macy Walters leads the way for the Zips with five strikeouts in 8.1 innings, as pitcher/utility Madie Jamrog has four punchouts in 13.1 innings of work.

The Catamounts and Zips have just one meeting before Saturday's tilt, which saw WCU earn a 4-1 decision at EKU during the 2018 season.

Scouting the Opposition – UConn Huskies:
UConn (0-4) began the season with stiff competition in the opening weekend, dropping decisions to Marshall, SoCon foe Samford, and power-four opponents Iowa and nationally-ranked Florida State. The Huskies battle Akron twice and both tournament hosts before closing out the weekend against the Catamounts.

The Huskies were picked in a tie for second in the nine-team Big East Preseason Poll and were one of three schools to garner a first-place vote in the league. UConn is led by Laura Valentino, who's in her seventh season at the helm in Connecticut and has led the Huskies to 31 or more wins in four straight seasons.

Freshman infielder Ava Calciano led the Huskies with a .500 batting average, as she tallied four hits and a pair of runs. Senior utility Haley Coupal has posted a .385 batting average with five hits, including a double and a pair of RBIs. Senior infielder Savannah Ring picked up four hits, including a double, for UConn through four early games.

Freshman Caprice Bohmer logged a team-best 10.0 innings of work with 24 strikeouts spanning three outings and a pair of starts.

WCU and UConn have met twice before Sunday's tourney finale, with the Huskies winning both. Both matchups took place in Charleston in 2022, which saw UConn earn a 4-0 and 8-0 shutout victories.

On Deck for Western Carolina:
Following Sunday's finale in Charleston, the Catamounts return to the friendly confines of the Catamount Softball Complex for a doubleheader against Winthrop on Tuesday, Feb. 17. The doubleheader with the Eagles is slated for a Noon first pitch and is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats available on CatamountSports.com.

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