CHADRON, Neb. – Chadron State softball will open up the 2026 season and begin the Skye Koehl coaching era with a classic in Texas, competing five times in the span of three days on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

On Friday, Eagles will take on Saint Martin's at 10 a.m. and Texas A&M-International at 12:30 p.m. The Eagles will play once on Saturday, battling St. Mary's at 12:30 p.m., before facing No. 1-ranked UT Tyler at 9 a.m. Sunday and No. 13 Angelo State to close the weekend at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. (all times are listed above in Mountain Time, local time is Central Time).

All games will take place at the Scrap Yards Sports Complex in Conroe, Texas and is hosted by the UT Tyler Patriots, the two-time defending Division II national champions who will enter the 2026 season ranked No. 1 in the country.

Due to the expansive and off-site nature of the tournament, no official video streaming will be available. Live stats will be available for some, but not all games – stay tuned at chadroneagles.com and CSC softball's X, Instagram and Facebook accounts for the most up-to-date information and results.

New Coach
Skye Koehl (pronounced "kale") will begin her tenure as Chadron State's head softball coach this weekend with five games in Texas, her home state. 

STORY: Skye Koehl Named CSC Head Softball Coach

Koehl joins CSC after two seasons as the head coach at Otero Junior College in La Junta, Colorado. Her teams placed second and third in NJCAA Region 9 during her two seasons in charge. As a player, Koehl won a junior college national championship with Temple College (Tex.) before transferring to Division I Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for her final three seasons. 

Koehl replaces Dr. Robert Stack, who coached the 2025 season on an interim basis after previously piloting the CSC softball program from 2008-2017. Assistant coach Kayla Campuzano, who has been on staff at CSC since 2019, remains with the program in that role, while former player Ashland Baca joins the staff as a graduate assistant. 

Team Fast Facts
Chadron State softball finished 2025 with a 22-28 record, going 18-26 overall in the RMAC. The Eagles finished ninth in the 12-team RMAC standings, but were 8.5 games out of fourth place in the league while finishing 8.5 games ahead of 10^th place.

Chadron State went 2-1 against Lone Star Conference teams last season, beating Sul Ross State and UT-Permian Basin while losing to Lubbock Christian.

The Eagles were picked to finish 11^th in this year's RMAC Preseason Poll, based on a vote of the league's head coaches. 

The Roster
Chadron State's 20-player roster includes eight returners and 12 newcomers. The Eagles will be replacing a lot of production from the 2025 season – four of the top five batting average leaders, four of the top five RBI leaders and the starting pitchers for 46 of CSC's 50 games last season do not return.

The most accomplished hitter on the roster is Aliyah Rothstein, an All-RMAC Honorable Mention selection in 2025 after hitting .345 with nine stolen bases and errorless defense in right field. But Rothstein sustained a knee injury late in the 2025 season, and her return date is still unknown.

Slugging catcher Sophia Brennan, who hit seven home runs last season, will likely return behind the plate alongside newcomer Tiffani Mein, a transfer from Colby CC. Catcher Madison Sebbo, who has played in just two games in three seasons due to knee injuries, has been cleared and has rejoined the team.

All four infield positions do not have a returning starter. Infield candidates could include a Division I transfer in sophomore Macie Selfors (who had 31 pinch-running appearances as a true freshman for Grand Canyon in 2025), a juco transfer from Yavapai College in Charley Pitrat (who hit .327 with 10 doubles and 23 RBI for the Roughriders) and freshman Brianna Cordray, Isabella Crown and Payton Sullivan.

Brogan Allen, who slugged .493 with five home runs last season, spent time as the designated player last season but may also work into the infield. 

The Eagles have familiar options in the outfield, as Katelynn Czerpak (46 games played, nine stolen bases), Elizabeth Thorngren (43 games played, .219 AVG, 10 RBI) and Elia DeLozier (4-4 stolen bases) all return along with Rothstein. A trio of freshmen – Coloradoans Lani Davis and Sydney Lowery and Wyoming native Izzy Thomas – will try to crack the lineup. 

The pitching staff will rely heavily on Belle Akins, a sophomore from Elkhorn, Nebraska who threw 59 innings as a true freshman last year in three starts and 21 relief appearances. Akins tossed a no-hitter, just the second in CSC history, in her second collegiate start against New Mexico Highlands last season.

Behind Akins, the pitching options are freshmen. Seward, Nebraska's McKenna Sides and Commerce City, Colorado's Brynn Trujillo have five All-State and seven All-Conference selections between them in their high school careers. Trujillo could also play in the infield as well.

The Opponents
Chadron State will not have a soft landing, as three of its five upcoming opponents this weekend made the NCAA Tournament last season, including CSC's season-opening opponent.

Saint Martin's, a school in Lacey, Washington which competes in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) went 32-16 last season and qualified for the NCAA West Regional, where they went 0-2. The Saints have been picked second in this year's GNAC Preseason Poll and return Co-GNAC Player of the Year Heather Ebner, who slashed .439/.536/.672 last season with 67 RBI, which set a new conference record. 

Chadron State's other four opponents all hail from the Lone Star Conference (LSC), which competes alongside the RMAC for spots in the NCAA's South Central Regional. The Eagles are set to face teams ranked 11^th (Texas A&M International), ninth (St. Mary's), first (UT Tyler) and third (Angelo State) in the 17-team Lone Star preseason poll.

Texas A&M International went 24-31 last season. They return third baseman Kennedy Griego, who hit .402 with 16 doubles and a .462 on-base percentage. 

St. Mary's finished 26-29 last season and also features a first-year head coach in Taylor Lira. The Rattlers return five starters, including former All-Conference selections Gabriela Banda and pitcher Emily Ayala. 

UT Tyler was a dominant 62-5 last season and went 10-1 in postseason play on their way to their second straight national title, including a perfect 5-0 at the College World Series. The Patriots are undergoing a coaching change after the retirement of longtime coach Mike Reed, as assistant Jason Miller will be the 2026 interim coach. Taryn Barney leads the UT Tyler returners after earning D2CCA All-Region honors plus a spot on the CWS All-Championship Team. 

Angelo State went 47-14 in 2025 and went 3-2 in the NCAA Tournament. The No. 13-ranked Rambelles are picked third in a tough LSC behind the top-ranked Patriots and No. 8 West Texas A&M. Angelo boasts the LSC Preseason Player of the Year in Tatiana Trotter, who hit .330 with 14 home runs, 47 RBI and a Gold Glove outfield selection last season.