FARMINGTON, Utah (May 20, 2026) – The 2026 softball season has come to an end after Big Sky champions Idaho State's historical run wrapped up in Eugene.
Big Sky Softball Weekly Notes (Season Recap)
Four Standouts Named to NFCA All-Region Teams
Four Big Sky Softball standouts were named to the NFCA All-Region teams in recognition of their stellar performance on the season.
Idaho State's Sydney Groves and Ava Brown earned Second Team Mountain Region honors, while fellow Bengal Camryn McDonald earned Third Team Mountain Region recognition.
Sacramento State's Lafulafu Malepeai was named to the Third Team West Region, capping off her MVP season.
The four honors across the league is the most since the 2024 season, where the league also collected four honors.
Idaho State Wins Program's First Big Sky Tournament Title
Idaho State captured its first tournament title in program history on Thursday afternoon, as the Bengals capped off a 3-0 week at the Big Sky Softball Championship in Pocatello, Idaho.
Idaho State, who won the regular-season crown, run-ruled all three opponents on its way to a Big Sky title. The Bengals downed Montana and Sacramento State in the tournament, with a 10-1 win over the Grizzlies and a 15-7 victory over the Hornets before taking down the foes in green again in Thursday's championship final, 16-8.
The Bengals were led by Big Sky Tournament MVP Ava Brown, who had six RBIs alone in Thursday's championship game. Brown finished the tournament with eight RBIs, five hits, and a pair of home runs. Idaho State closed out the tournament with 11 home runs overall on the week in Pocatello.
Idaho State is the first team to sweep softball titles since Northern Colorado in 2024.
2026 Big Sky Softball All-Tournament Team
Ava Brown, Idaho State (MVP)
Camryn McDonald, Idaho State
Kira Day, Idaho State
Jenna Kearns, Idaho State
Jaden Moore, Idaho State
Marley Goluskin, Idaho State
Madison Evers-Lyles, Sacramento State
Saskia Raab, Sacramento State
Madi Mendoza, Sacramento State
Anna Cockhill, Montana
Grace Lopez, Montana
Bengals NCAA Tournament Run Ends in Eugene
Idaho State's historic season came to a close Saturday afternoon as the Bengals fell to Saint Mary's 3-1 in an elimination game at Jane Sanders Stadium, putting an end to the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
The loss came just a day after the Bengals faced regional hosts and fourth-seeded Oregon, who they fell to by a score of 5-1, in front of a sold out crowd of more than 2,000+ fans in attendance.
Idaho State closes out the season with a 37-20 record, matching their win total from a season ago.
Weber State is the lone Big Sky softball team to record a win in the NCAA tournament. Most recently, the Wildcats defeated Binghamton in the Eugene regional a season ago. They also picked up a tournament win in 2019 against Cal State Fullerton in the Los Angeles regional hosted by UCLA.
Eugene Regional Schedule
Game 1 // Friday, May 15 | Mississippi State 3, Saint Mary's 2 (8)
Game 2 // Friday, May 15 | Oregon 5, Idaho State 1
Game 3 // Saturday, May 16 | Mississippi State 4, Oregon 0
Game 4 // Saturday, May 16 | Saint Mary's 3, Idaho State 1
Game 5 // Saturday, May 16 | Saint Mary's 5, Oregon 4
Game 6 // Sunday, May 17 | Mississippi State 5, Saint Mary's 0
Big Sky Announces Softball All-Conference Awards
The 2026 Big Sky Softball Individual Awards and All-Conference Teams were announced on Thursday by the conference office, with Sacramento State's Lafulafu Malepeai headlining the announcement after winning Most Valuable Player honors for the Hornets.
Sac State's Malepeai was named MVP in just her second season in the league, as the former Newcomer of the Year was an offensive powerhouse for the Hornets. Malepeai ranked top-three in the league with a .405 batting average and was second in the league in home runs with 15.
Andrew Rich of Idaho State and Stef Ewing of Montana share Coach of the Year honors. Rich collected his third regular-season title in the past four seasons this year, while Ewing led her team to just one win shy of a regular-season championship for a program that had finished in last place of the Big Sky standings in every season since 2023.
2026 Big Sky Softball Individual Award Winners
Player of the Year: Lafulafu Malepeai, Sacramento State
Pitcher of the Year: Marley Goluskin, Idaho State
Freshman of the Year: Kailee Mejia, Montana
Co-Top Newcomer of the Year: Carah Sweet, Montana/Madi Mendoza, Sacramento State
Co-Coach of the Year: Andrew Rich, Idaho State/Stef Ewing, Montana
First Team All-Big Sky
Catcher: Jenna Kearns, Idaho State*
First Base: Sydney Groves, Idaho State
Second Base: Katie Walling, Northern Colorado
Shortstop: Anna Cockhill, Montana
Third Base: Madison Evers-Lyles, Sacramento State
Outfield: Lafulafu Malepeai, Sacramento State*
Outfield: Alyssa Yee, Idaho State*
Outfield: Ava Brown, Idaho State
Pitcher: Marley Goluskin, Idaho State
Pitcher: Kasey Aguinaga, Idaho State
Pitcher/UTL: Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung, Portland State
Non-Pitcher/UTL: Ella Gonzales, Northern Colorado
* - unanimous selection
Second Team All-Big Sky
Catcher: Shannon Garcia, Sacramento State
First Base: Amailee Morales, Northern Colorado
Second Base: Grace Lopez, Montana
Shortstop: Camryn McDonald, Idaho State
Third Base: Breanna Lutz, Portland State
Outfield: Jordan McMahon, Weber State
Outfield: KK Christie, Northern Colorado
Outfield: Saskia Raab, Sacramento State
Pitcher: Alexa Ortiz, Sacramento State^
Pitcher: Kennedie Bacon, Sacramento State^
Pitcher: Carah Sweet, Montana^
Non-Pitcher/UTL: Jojo Christiaens, Montana
^- three-way tie in voting
All-Big Sky Honorable Mention
Catcher: Jordan Hart, Weber State
First Base: Kailee Mejia, Montana
First Base: Apple Maldonado, Weber State
Second Base: Sadie Kirk, Weber State
Shortstop: Madi Mendoza, Sacramento State
Shortstop: Krista Francia, Northern Colorado
Third Base: Hayden Nelson, Northern Colorado
Outfield: Jaden Moore, Idaho State
Outfield: Mackenzie Bekofsky, Montana
Non-Pitcher/UTL: Kira Day, Idaho State
Non-Pitcher/UTL: Abigail Carsley, Portland State
Honorable Mention selections received at least 3 votes
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