BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Marist University softball team (47-7-1) opens NCAA Regional play on Friday against Liberty. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. Friday, and the game will be carried live on ESPN+.
 
The Red Foxes are the first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference team to earn a #3 seed at a regional. The regionals utilize the double elimination format.
 

Schedule

Friday, May 16 

• Game 1 - Marist vs. Liberty, 1 p.m.
• Game 2 - Saint Francis at Texas A&M, 3:30 p.m.

 
Saturday, May 17

• Game 3 - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 2 p.m.
• Game 4 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 4:30 p.m.
• Game 5 - Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3, 7 p.m.

 
Sunday, May 18

• Game 6 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5, 4 p.m.
• Game 7 - Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary), 6:30 p.m.

 All times listed are Eastern.
 

History

• Texas A&M
  • Marist is 0-4 against Texas A&M all-time, having dropped two games apiece in 2012 and 2018.
  • 2018 was Marist's only previous trip to Texas A&M.
• Liberty
  • Marist is 0-4 against Liberty all-time.
  • The teams first met in 1998, and then met in 1999, 2000, and 2011.
• Saint Francis
  • Marist is 6-6 against Saint Francis all-time.
  • The teams were rivals in the Northeast Conference from 1993-97, with Marist going 6-3 in that span. Saint Francis is 3-0 since then, with wins in 2008, 2011, and 2023.

 

NCAA Tournament

• Marist is appearing in its fifth NCAA Tournament in program history, following appearances in 2006, 2013, 2016, and 2023. The Red Foxes are looking for their first win at regionals (0-8).
• Marist is the first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference team to earn a #3 seed at a regional.
• The last MAAC team to win an NCAA Tournament game was Canisius in 2008.
• No MAAC team has won a first-round game at a regional.  

 

MAAC Championship

• Thursday, May 8: Marist 2, Siena 0. Kiley Myers tossed a two-hitter with six strikeouts and no walks, throwing just 84 pitches in seven innings. Haley Ahr drove in both of Marist's runs, including a solo homer in the sixth.
• Saturday, May 10: Marist 1, Rider 0 (8 innings). Maddie Pleasants tossed a one-hitter and struck out 10. Miah McDonald reached on a one-out double in the eighth, and she scored the game's lone run on an error with two outs.
• Sunday, May 11: Marist 10, Siena 2 (5 innings). Maddie Pleasants opened the scoring with a first-inning grand slam, and Samantha Rogers' homer gave Marist a 6-0 lead just six hitters into the game. Maddie Gore later belted Marist's third homer of the inning, and the Red Foxes scored nine in the first. Rogers added her second homer of the game in the fourth. Kiley Myers went the distance, as she scattered five hits and struck out three.
• Awards
  • Most Outstanding Player: Kiley Myers. Second award in her career (2023, 2025), making her the sixth player in conference history to earn the award twice, and the first since Iona's Sarah Jackson (2010, 2011). She was the ninth straight pitcher to earn this honor.
  • All-Championship Team: Haley Ahr (second career honor), Maddie Pleasants (second career honor), Peyton Pusey (first career honor), Samantha Rogers (first career honor).

 

MAAC Awards

• Marist has three MAAC major award winners this year:
  • Miah McDonald: Player of the Year. It's the second straight year McDonald has won the award, and third straight year a Red Fox has won it following Maddie Pleasants' selection in 2023.
  • Maddie Pleasants: Pitcher of the Year. Pleasants is the first player in MAAC history to win Rookie, Player, and Pitcher of the Year in her career.
  • Joe Ausanio: Coach of the Year. Ausanio won for the fifth time in his career (2011, 2016, 2019, 2024, 2025), which is the second most of any coach in MAAC history.
• Miah McDonald, Haley Ahr, Peyton Pusey, and Kiley Myers were named First Team All-MAAC. All were repeat First Team honorees, with Ahr being named to the First Team for the third year in a row.
• Samantha Rogers, Maddie Pleasants, and Sienna Kunze were named Second Team All-MAAC.
• Sienna Kunze was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team.
• A total of 14 Red Foxes were named to the MAAC All-Academic Team: Haley Ahr, Taylor Anderson, Stella Blanchard, Maddie Gore, Ronni Howard, Kaitlyn Husic, Isabella Manory, Miah McDonald, Isabella Milazzo, Kiley Myers, Maddie Pleasants, Peyton Pusey, Samantha Rogers, Anna Sidlowski.

 

Weekly Awards

• Marist won 22 MAAC weekly awards in 13 weeks this season.
• Kiley Myers was named MAAC Pitcher of the Week the first five weeks.
• The Red Foxes had the Player of the Week each of the first nine weeks.
• Six different Red Foxes were named MAAC Player of the Week this season.
  • Feb. 11: Miah McDonald  (Player of the Week), Kiley Myers (Pitcher of the Week)
  • Feb. 18: Isabella Manory (Player of the Week), Kiley Myers (Pitcher of the Week), Sienna Kunze (Rookie of the Week)
  • Feb. 25: Haley Ahr (Player of the Week), Kiley Myers (Pitcher of the Week)
  • March 4: Haley Ahr (Player of the Week), Kiley Myers (Pitcher of the Week), Sienna Kunze (Rookie of the Week)
  • March 11: Miah McDonald (Player of the Week), Kiley Myers (Pitcher of the Week)
  • March 18: Haley Ahr (Player of the Week)
  • March 25: Maddie Pleasants (Player of the Week)
  • April 1: Samantha Rogers (Player of the Week)
  • April 8: Maddie Pleasants (Player of the Week), Kiley Myers (Pitcher of the Week), Sienna Kunze (Rookie of the Week)
  • April 22: Maddie Pleasants (Pitcher of the Week)
  • April 29: Haley Ahr (Player of the Week)
  • May 5: Peyton Pusey (Player of the Week), Sienna Kunze (Rookie of the week)

 

National Recognition

• Marist is ranked #17 in the most recent D1Softball Mid-Major Poll.
• The Red Foxes were ranked in the poll every week during the regular season, topping out at #15.
• In the most recent Softball America rankings, Miah McDonald is the #3 shortstop nationally, and Haley Ahr is the #8 second baseman nationally.

 

National Leaders

Team

• Home Runs (2^nd), Shutouts (2^nd), Win-Loss Percentage (4^th), ERA (4^th), Hits (4^th), Home Runs Per Game (5^th), Slugging Percentage (7^th), Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio (9^th), Sacrifice Flies (9^th), Batting Average (10^th), Runs (10^th)

Individual

• Miah McDonald: Total Bases (1^st), Runs (2^nd), Runs Per Game (3^rd), Home Runs (4^th), Slugging Percentage (4^th), Home Runs Per Game (5^th), Hits (T-7^th)
• Maddie Pleasants: Fewest Hit Batters (1^st), Strikeouts Per Seven Innings (3^rd), Sacrifice Flies (3^rd), Home Runs (8^th), Home Runs Per Game (10^th)
• Peyton Pusey: Total Runs (1^st), Runs Per Game (1^st), Hits (T-7^th)
• Haley Ahr: Batting Average (1^st), Hits (3^rd), On-Base Percentage (10^th)
• Kiley Myers: Shutouts (2^nd), Walks Allowed Per Seven Innings (3^rd), Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio (5^th), ERA (8^th), WHIP (8^th)

 

Records

Team

• Marist has its most wins in program history (47). The Red Foxes previously won 45 games in 2016.
• Marist had a 19-game winning streak from March 1 through April 4, which was the longest in program history and the longest in the country at the time.
• Marist has set the MAAC's single season records for home runs (103), runs (406), and hits (518).
• Marist has set the single-season program record for shutouts (21).

 
Individual (Season)

• Miah McDonald's 24 home runs this season are a single-season MAAC record.
• Peyton Pusey's 77 runs scored this season are a single-season MAAC record.
• Haley Ahr has Marist's single-season hits record (87). She currently also has the highest single-season batting average in program history (.521).
• Kiley Myers' is tied for the program single-season record with 22 wins. She is Marist'
• Maddie Pleasants has tied the MAAC single-season record for RBIs (70).

 
Individual (Career)

• Miah McDonald has broken the program records for home runs (53), RBIs (194), runs (188), and triples (16). The runs and RBIs are also MAAC career records.
• Kiley Myers has set the MAAC career record for shutouts (23).

 

Watches

• Miah McDonald has 239 career hits. The program's record is 241, set by Caroline Baratta (who played with McDonald from 2021-22, was an assistant coach from 2023-24, and is now Marist's Athletics Business Manager).
• Miah McDonald has 17 doubles this season. The program's single-season record is 19.
• Miah McDonald is six RBIs away from 200 in her career.
• Haley Ahr has 87 hits this season. The MAAC's single-season record is 93.

 

Team Trends

• Marist is 36-2-1 since March 1.
• Marist won 19 straight from March 1 through April 4, which was the longest active winning streak in Division I and the longest in program history. During this streak:
  • The Red Foxes outscored the opposition 168-25.
  • Marist scored at least nine runs in a game 12 times.
  • Marist recorded 10 shutouts.
  • Marist won eight games by the mercy rule.
• Marist recorded five straight shutouts from March 1-8. The Red Foxes did not allow a run in 34.1 innings.
• Marist completed the month of March with a 15-0 record.
• Marist has currently won 17 straight.
  • In this streak, Marist has outscored the opposition 126-33.
  • Marist has held seven straight opponents to two runs or less.
  • Marist has recorded six shutouts.
  • Marist has won five games by the mercy rule.

 

NFCA All-Region

• Marist had five First Team NFCA All-Region selections: Haley Ahr, Miah McDonald, Kiley Myers, Maddie Pleasants, and Peyton Pusey.
• The total of five first teamers is a program record.