After a 30-12 2025 season making it to Game Six of the NCAA regional tournament, the Case Western Reserve University softball team is back and ready to tackle the 2026 season.

“Overall I’m just very excited,” third-year infielder Karen Potts said. “We’ve been practicing inside for the past six weeks, so the chance to play games on a real field is going to be great. We’ll finally be able to all play together as a team with the energy we all bring, and I’m excited to see where that can take us.”

The CWRU softball team is one of the most successful programs in CWRU athletics, earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament for four consecutive seasons and ranking among the 64 qualifying teams each year, with the exception of 2021 when the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each year, the Spartans face the challenge of preparing for their season amid Cleveland’s notoriously unpredictable weather. Looking to build on their past success, the team has focused on indoor training and conditioning to ensure they start the season strong.

This year, the Spartans have added a new component to their preparation by working with a mental performance coach hired by the athletic department, coming together as a team to strengthen their confidence both individually and in one another.

“One new thing we’ve started doing this pre-season is weekly team mental performance sessions, focusing on the mental aspects of the game,” Potts said. “I think these have really brought us closer as a team, opening up our minds to each other and our different experiences, perspectives and goals, while also giving us additional resources to handle the in-season pressure of sports, and to stay strong mentally as much as possible.”

Another new challenge for the Spartans this year will be navigating a roster made up largely of underclassmen. Of the team’s 22 players, 15 are underclass students, including 10 first-years competing in their first collegiate season. Despite the team’s relative inexperience, fourth-year Tara Fritscher expressed strong confidence in the group’s talent, chemistry, and determination to make a deep run this season.

“We have some incredible players on this team—power hitters, strong arms, and speed on the bases; but I think what truly sets us apart is our resilience and the bond we share,” Fritscher said. “We’ve had some incredible comebacks and have battled through tight, low-scoring games. That kind of toughness comes from the trust and joy we have as teammates. When we stay loose and have fun, we stay united, and that unity fuels our success.”

With a long history of being a successful program, the Spartans seem to have big shoes to fill. Fritscher is eager to see how the team can build on last season’s foundation and use its early ending as motivation to push even further this year.

“Last season, though we didn’t come out as UAA champions or NCAA champions, I saw so much grit in my teammates, working to pull through hard games and continuously fighting to win in tough conference series,” Fritscher said. “We also overcame many challenges together, and it was when I saw my teammates facing struggles together that we became so much stronger. I think if we carry that fire and that willingness to move together, not alone, we will be in a strong spot for this season.”

The Spartans will open their season this weekend with a two-day, four-game slate against the Catholic University of America and Roanoke College.