UNCW softball hoping recent trend continues
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY) — Spring sports are fast approaching in the Cape Fear, and UNCW softball is hard at work looking to win even more hardware.
This season could be a good omen for the program giving how recent trends have gone. The Seahawks won the CAA title in 2022 and 2024 only for the odd-numbered years to not be as kind. Enter 2026.
Head Coach Ashley Wade sees that but knows they’ll have to earn any and all of their accomplishments after a season they finished in the middle of the pack.
(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)
“Coming off of last year, didn’t finish how we wanted to,” Wade said. “We underperformed to what we’re capable of doing and we all know that. 2026, yes, I’ve joked about it as a coaching staff. I’m not sure how much they’ve even paid attention to the even years being our championship years. But we still have to show up and earn it. Nothing’s given to us, even in 2026. If it happens to be that way, that’s great. I would love a championship every single year. I’m fine with that. Hopefully we can continue to break some records this year as well.”
Wade feels pitching will be a strength this season while the players feel something that can’t be seen on the diamond will be key to their success.
“I think mental toughness is the biggest thing for our team,” junior Makayla Huddleston said. “That’s maybe where we fell a little bit short last year, but I think we are fully ready for that this year. There’s really nothing that is going to stand in our way. We’ve done a lot of preparation for this. As long as we trust our preparation, then I think that we can beat anyone who comes our way.”
(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)
Some spots in the lineup are still up for grabs. Wade and company say practices have been tough by design to prepare them for the year ahead.
“We’re very competitive on both sides of the field,” junior Madison Biddle said. “I think that’s a great thing, but our team chemistry really works hard. Our practices recently have been very energetic, very competitive. Everybody just wants to win, but we want to really just root for everybody else.”
“We want practices to be harder than any games that we have coming up,” Wade said. “That’s just what we’re trying to do right now. It’s not really the time for the fundamentals and breaking things down. We’re ready to get after it and compete. Make them perform in high-pressure situations within practices.”
(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)
The Seahawks open the year on February 6 when they host Appalachian state.
