Chattanooga, Tenn. – Third-seeded Western Carolina begins its pursuit of the 2026 Southern Conference Softball Championship on Wednesday as the Catamounts start their tournament play at UTC's Frost Stadium. WCU opens its quest against either No. 6 seed East Tennessee State or No. 7 seed Mercer, who meet in a single-elimination game on Wednesday at 9 a.m., as stormy weather forecasts have altered the tournament schedule.
The winner of Wednesday's first double-elimination game advances to Thursday to battle second-seeded Samford at 1 p.m. Coverage of all SoCon Tournament games played at Frost Stadium is available on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats linked through CatamountSports.com.
Already having seen schedule alterations, each game of the tournament remains subject to change. Updates, as available, for WCU's schedule will be made online at CatamountSports.com and through the department's social media outlets, with complete coverage of the SoCon tournament available at SoConSports.com.
WCU opens its tournament run looking to rebound from a tough finish to the regular season, dropping four-straight to close the schedule, with defeats in four of its final five games. The Catamounts were swept at Wofford and dropped 2-of-3 to Mercer to conclude the home schedule.
The Catamounts secured four series wins this year, tying the 2021 squad for the second-most in program history. In a scheduling quirk, ETSU and Mercer met in the final week of the regular season, with the Bucs claiming 2-of-3 to set the respective seeding.
MATCHUP: #6 ETSU (21-28) or #7 Mercer (20-29) vs #3 Western Carolina (33-22)
Date: Wednesday, May 6
Time: 3 p.m.
Location: Chattanooga, Tenn.
Site: Frost Field
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Live Video: ESPN+
About Western Carolina:
The Catamounts enter the week riding the most wins by a WCU squad since 2016, when they also tallied 33 wins, tying the second-most in school history.
In last Saturday's regular season finale, Maya McPherson doubled in the second inning, giving WCU 72 as a team to break the previous benchmark of 71 (2017). The Catamounts have now broken the team single-season record for hits (487), runs scored (359), doubles (72), runs batted in (332), and stolen bases (76).
Western Carolina softball put nine players on the 2026 All-Southern Conference teams released on Tuesday, headlined by a trio on the first team. Juniors Maya McPherson and Sydney Dirks and sophomore Amanda Fulton each garnered first-team All-SoCon plaudits, while senior Tate Stewman, along with juniors Becka Wonsick and Lily Bell, received second-team honors.
WCU also placed a trio of players on the SoCon All-Freshman team in Briony Bunsic, Kayden Lyda, and Amari Burce.
Tuesday's honors mark WCU's most on the league's two all-conference teams and freshman honors in school history. The nine selections surpassed the previous benchmark of six in 2006 and 2021. The trio of first-team selections is the most for WCU since 2021 and is tied for the second-most in school history. WCU has landed a player on the first-team all-conference in seven straight award cycles, dating back to 2019. *No awards were issued in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.*
The Purple & Gold enter the week with six regulars batting over the .300 mark, led by McPherson, who paces the SoCon with 75 hits, needing just one hit to surpass WCU's single-season record. McPherson currently holds the team lead with 13 doubles and 17 homers, one off the SoCon's top power threat. McPherson leads the league with a .766 slugging percentage and is third with 56 runs knocked in.
Junior Sydney Dirks is tied for fourth in the SoCon with 15 home runs and is second with 57 RBIs. The Catamount power-hitting quartet of Dirks, McPherson, Wonsick, who has 11 homers and is sixth with a .705 slugging percentage, and Stewman (15 HR), has aided WCU to 72 home runs as a team, first in the SoCon by 12.
Sophomore Amanda Fulton is second in the SoCon with 15 victories, while her 15 complete games are first in the league. She boasts the fourth-best ERA at 2.61 over 166.1 innings pitched, the most in the SoCon. Fulton is additionally third in strikeouts per seven innings (6.5), with her 154 strikeouts third in the SoCon. The right-hander has 30 punchouts looking, the second-most in the league. She also leads the league with four saves, 17th in the nation.
Additional offensive leaders include: (SoCon Ranks)
Bell – 74 hits (2nd), 51 runs (1st), six doubles, two triples, .376 average (8th), 18 RBIs, 25 stolen bases (1st), 23 multi-hit games
Dirks — 42 runs (5th), 65 hits (t-4th), 11 doubles (t-8th), two triples, 15 home runs (t-4th), 57 RBIs (2nd), .353 average, .679 slugging percentage (8th), 17 multi-hit games, 16 multi-RBI games
Stewman – .350 average, 34 runs, 57 hits (9th), 40 RBIs (8th), eight doubles, 15 homers (t-4th), .675 slugging percentage (9th)
Wonsick – .333 average, 26 runs, 35 hits, four doubles, one triple, 11 homers (9th), 31 RBIs, six stolen bases
Waitley – .322 average, 38 runs (9th), 55 hits (t-10th), seven doubles, three homers, eight stolen bases, 32 RBIs
SoCon team hitting ranks: .316 average (2nd), 359 runs (1ST), 487 hits (1ST), 72 doubles (3rd), 72 homers (1ST), 332 RBIs (1ST), 76 steals (2nd), 170 walks (3rd), .387 on-base pct. (2nd), .514 slugging pct. (1ST).
SoCon team pitching ranks: 33 wins (t-2nd), 4.27 ERA (4th), 244 strikeouts (2nd), 364 innings pitched (2nd), 4.7 strikeouts per seven (4th), four saves (t-2nd), 57 strikeouts looking (2nd).
Southern Conference Tournament History:
Western Carolina enters the 2026 SoCon Tournament as the No. 3 seed for the second time, collecting a 0-2 record in 2016 with losses to Chattanooga and Furman. WCU looks for its ninth win in the opening game of the SoCon tournament.
Scouting the ETSU Buccaneers:
ETSU enters the tournament with wins in four of its last six games to close out the regular season, including a series win over Mercer to close the schedule in Macon. The two teams have 10 common opponents: Furman, UNCG, Presbyterian, Winthrop, Chattanooga, USC Upstate, Wofford, Samford, Gardner-Webb, and Mercer, with the Bucs going 10-15 and WCU finishing 17-11.
The Bucs are led by:
Abigail Taylor – team-best .343 average, 26 runs, 36 hits, 21 steals
Payton Moore – .320 average, team-best 10 homers, 20 runs, 41 hits, seven doubles, .609 slugging pct.
Whitney Boone – .310 average, 27 runs, 44 hits, nine doubles, four homers, 30 RBIs
Eden Muncy – four wins, team-best 2.65 ERA, 20 appearances, five complete games, 82 innings, 52 strikeouts, 2 saves
SoCon team hitting ranks: .267 average (7th), 218 runs (6th), 344 hits (7th), 54 doubles (7th), six triples (t-6th), 25 homers (6th), 197 RBIs (6th), 46 steals (4th), 151 walks (5th), .351 on-base percentage (7th), .376 slugging percentage (8th)
SoCon team pitching ranks: 21 wins (6th), 4.10 ERA (3rd), 153 strikeouts (7th), 322.2 innings pitched (5th), four saves (t-2nd), 189 earned runs (3rd), 31 strikeouts looking (7th)
Catamounts and Bucs – All-Time Series History:
ETSU enters the weekend with a slim 27-26 lead over WCU, after the Catamounts claimed the three contests earlier this spring. The two teams met four times in previous SoCon tournaments, with ETSU earning three wins, including last year's 12-9 triumph in Spartanburg. McPherson, Dirks, and Bell each tallied four hits in a balanced offensive attack in Johnson City last month as the team hit .321 for the series and held the Bucs to three earned runs, led by Fulton's 0.84 ERA after allowing one earned in 8.1 innings.
Scouting the Mercer Bears:
Mercer begins the tournament having split its last six matchups against ETSU and WCU, with a series win over the Catamounts and dropping a pair to the Bucs. The two teams have eight common opponents: N.C. A&T, Southern Illinois, PC, Samford, UTC, Furman, UNCG, and ETSU, with the Bears 6-13 and WCU at 15-6.
The Bears are led by:
Olivia Lenzen – team-best .350 average, 22 runs, 42 hits, 10 homers, 28 RBIs, .642 slugging pct.
Grace Jones – .313 average, 19 runs, team-best 11 doubles, five homers, 22 RBIs, .522 slugging pct. PITCHING: four wins, team-best 5.49 ERA, 11 starts, two complete games, 58.2 innings, 46 earned, 50 strikeouts.
SoCon team hitting ranks: .257 average (8th), 195 runs (8th), 306 hits (8th), 47 doubles (8th), three triples (8th), 48 homers (4th), 175 RBIs (8th), 37 steals (7th), 128 walks (7th), .340 on-base percentage (8th), .422 slugging percentage (5th)
SoCon team pitching ranks: 20 wins (7th), 6.53 ERA (7th), 169 strikeouts (6th), 308.2 innings pitched (8th), three saves (t-4th), 288 earned runs (7th), 36 strikeouts looking (6th)
Catamounts and Bears – All-Time Series History:
Mercer leads the all-time series over Western Carolina, 25-17, claiming a pair of wins late in 2026 in Cullowhee. WCU and Mercer have met five times in SoCon tournament history, with the Catamounts holding a 3-2 mark. The two most recently met in a 10-2 victory in an elimination game back in 2024.
As a team, WCU finished with a .365 batting average (35-for-96), totaling 11 extra-base hits – seven homers, four doubles – and scoring 16 runs in the final home series. Bell led the way with seven hits, followed by five apiece for Stewman and Waitley.
On Deck for Western Carolina:
Wednesday afternoon's winner advances to Thursday at 1 p.m. against No. 2 seed Samford. Coverage of each of the tournament games is available on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) and with live stats through CatamountSports.com.
Fans can follow WCU softball on Facebook, Twitter (@CatamountSB), Instagram, and CatamountSports.com.
