Preview courtesy of Akron Athletic Communications

WHATS AHEAD
The Akron Zips enter its first NCAA Softball Tournament in program history at the Baton Rouge Regional hosted by LSU. The Zips and the Tigers will meet for the first time in program history on Friday, May 15 at 6:30 p.m. ET. Rounding out the Baton Rouge Region are the No. 5 Virginia Tech Hokies and the South Alabama Jaguars.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
May 15 vs No. 16 LSU | 6:30 PM ET | ESPN+ | Stats | NCAA Baton Rouge Regional Central

FOR THE FIRST TIME!
Akron makes its first appearance in the NCAA Softball Tournament at the Div. I level when it battles LSU. Akron took down Western Michigan, 3-1, to capture its first-ever Mid-American Conference Tournament title after winning the regular-season crown. The Zips last made the NCAA Tournament in 1985 when competing at the Div. II level. Akron made back-to-back National Title games in 1984 and 1985, falling to Cal State Northridge both times.

FIRST TIME SINCE 1998
The Zips claimed their first MAC Regular Season title since 1998 when they defeated Central Michigan twice on Saturday, May 2. The Blue and Gold were named the MAC East Division Champions in 2002. Akron went on to claim its first-ever MAC Tournament title.

RECORDS ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN
The 2026 Zips produced one of the best seasons in program history, setting numerous team and individual records. Akron has set new program highs in RBI (303), walks (211) and home runs (55). The Zips are three runs away from setting the single-season record for runs scored in a season (326). Sophia Wygast set the single-season record for RBI (60) while Meagan Lee holds the record for career hits (280). Lee holds the record for career runs (150) while Brooke Sivek currently is second in career runs (149).

ALL-MAC AWARDS + MAC ALL_TOURNAMENT TEAM HONORS

All-MAC Awards
MAC  Coach of the Year - Craig Nicholson
MAC Defensive Player of the Year - Katie Cantrell
All-MAC First Team - Katie Cantrell, Meagan Lee, Sophia Wygast
All-MAC Second Team - Haley Glass, Madie Jamrog, Lily Sullivan
All-MAC Freshman Team - Kenzie Gatti

MAC All-Tournament Team Honors
MAC Tournament MVP - Madie Jamrog
All-Tournament Team - Katie Cantrell, Haley Glass, Madie Jamrog, Meagan Lee

SCOUTING REPORT ON THE TIGERS
The LSU softball team will make its 27th NCAA Tournament appearance and host the Baton Rouge Regional May 15-17 as the No. 16 overall seed. Dating back to the 2015 season, LSU will host an NCAA Tournament Regional for the 10th time over the last 11 years, excluding 2020, which had no tournament due to COVID-19.

It will be the 17th time LSU has hosted a regional. LSU holds a 66-33 record in the NCAA Tournament Regional round. The Tigers received a berth to the NCAA Tournament for the 20th consecutive season and have a record of 88-60 in the Big Dance with six NCAA Women's College World Series appearances (2001, 2004, 2012, 2015-2017).

Head Coach Beth Torina has led LSU to the Women's College World Series four times, including three consecutive seasons, 2015-2017. LSU enters the 2026 NCAA Tournament with a 37-17 overall record and has won nine of its last 12 games. The Tigers ended the SEC Tournament with a 7-3 loss to No.17/18 Georgia in the second round.

Julia Lassiter leads the squad in average (.353), hits (60), runs (59), doubles (13) and stolen bases (10). Alix Franklin holds the top mark for triples (6), while Tori Edwards leads the way in home runs (12) RBI (43) and walks (45). Jayden Heavener has been the primary option in the circle, appearing in 29 games, 20 starts, with a 12-8 record, a 2.88 ERA, four shutouts, 126.1 innings and 109 strikeouts.

As a team, LSU is hitting .286 with 399 hits, 324 runs, 69 doubles, 18 triples, 54 home runs, 284 RBI, 255 walks and 52 stolen bases. The Tigers hold a 2.77 ERA as a team, while holding opposing batters to a .235 average. LSU has allowed 163 runs, 141 earned, striking out 263 and walking 138.