ATLANTA, Ga. (June 3, 2026) – The 2026 Collegiate Conference of the South Softball Championship at Choccolocco Park featured a little bit of everything: early upsets, late rallies, elimination-game pressure and a championship comeback from the tournament’s top seed.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
The bracket opened Wednesday with No. 4 Maryville setting the tone, defeating No. 5 LaGrange, 7-2, to advance into the quarterfinal round. No. 3 Piedmont followed with one of the closest games of the opening day, rallying past No. 6 Covenant, 4-3. Covenant built an early 3-0 lead, but the Lions answered with four unanswered runs, including the go-ahead score in the sixth inning, to move into the winners’ side of the bracket.
Thursday brought the first major shift in the tournament. Maryville carried its opening-round momentum into a matchup with top-seeded Belhaven and delivered a 3-2 win, sending the Blazers into the elimination bracket after their first game of the tournament. No. 2 Huntingdon followed with an 11-3 victory over Piedmont, putting the Hawks in strong position on the winners’ side.
Facing elimination, Belhaven responded immediately. The Blazers defeated Covenant, 10-0, to keep their title defense alive. Piedmont also stayed in the tournament with a 7-1 win over LaGrange, ending the Panthers’ championship run and setting up a Friday elimination matchup between the Lions and Blazers.
Friday’s semifinal round opened with Huntingdon making one of the strongest statements of the tournament. After four scoreless innings against Maryville, the Hawks broke through with a five-run fifth and continued to add on late, defeating the Scots, 11-0. Allie Roberts controlled the game in the circle, throwing a complete-game shutout while allowing just one hit and striking out seven. With the win, Huntingdon advanced to the championship round and waited for the elimination bracket to decide its opponent.
Belhaven and Piedmont met next in a back-and-forth elimination game. The Blazers jumped ahead early and built a 9-2 lead behind steady production from Maryanna Guy and a two-run home run from Maddie Bruner. Piedmont did not go quietly, scoring three runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh to cut the deficit to two. Belhaven held off the late rally, turning a key double play in the final frame to secure a 10-8 win and eliminate the Lions.
The Blazers then turned around to face Maryville with a spot in the championship series on the line. The Scots struck first with three runs in the opening inning, but Belhaven answered with five in the bottom half and never lost control. Liberty Gillihan delivered the biggest swing of the inning with a bases-clearing triple, and the Blazers later broke the game open with a five-run fourth. Belhaven went on to defeat Maryville, 12-4, advancing to Championship Saturday after winning three straight elimination games.
The final day brought a matchup between the tournament’s top two seeds, but the path to the title was different for each side. Huntingdon entered unbeaten in tournament play and needed one win to claim the championship. Belhaven, after dropping its opener, needed to beat the Hawks twice.
In the first championship game, Belhaven carried its offensive momentum into Saturday. The Blazers scored first in the opening inning and broke the game open with three runs in the fourth and five more in the fifth. Huntingdon answered with a four-run fifth to cut into the deficit, but Belhaven added insurance and closed out a 10-4 win to force a winner-take-all final.
With the championship on the line, Huntingdon struck first in the deciding game, but Belhaven answered each early challenge. The Blazers tied the game in the first, pulled even again in the second, and then took control in the fourth. Maddie Bruner delivered the go-ahead RBI, and Madeline Bullock added another run with an RBI groundout. Bullock later added a sacrifice fly in the sixth to extend the lead to 5-2.
From there, Macy Funderburk finished the job. After allowing two early runs, the tournament MVP settled in and held Huntingdon scoreless the rest of the way. Belhaven turned a double play in the seventh to erase a potential rally, and Funderburk closed out the complete-game victory to clinch the championship.
The 5-2 win gave Belhaven its second consecutive CCS Softball Championship and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Funderburk was named Tournament MVP for the second straight season after going 5-0 across six appearances with a 1.75 ERA and a CCS-record 32.0 innings pitched. Belhaven also placed Maryanna Guy, Maddie Bruner, Madeline Bullock and Grace Langston on the All-Tournament Team.
Huntingdon was represented by Maddie Grace Hubbard, Riley Rudick, Kate Dinkel and Allie Roberts after the Hawks advanced through the winners’ bracket and reached the championship series. Piedmont placed Ellie Lenz and Mandi Peretti on the team following its run to the semifinal round, while Maryville was represented by Sydney Dickinson and Catie Zani after opening the tournament with back-to-back wins, including an upset of top-seeded Belhaven.
BELHAVEN, HUNTINGDON REPRESENT CCS SOFTBALL IN NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP
Two Collegiate Conference of the South softball programs extended their seasons into the NCAA Division III Championship, with Belhaven making a run to the national semifinals and Huntingdon advancing to a regional championship game.
Belhaven (Automatic Qualifier)
Belhaven entered the NCAA postseason as the CCS automatic qualifier after capturing its second consecutive conference tournament title. The Blazers earned the right to host an NCAA Regional for the first time in program history and opened play at Jim McLeod Field against Westminster (Pa.).
Belhaven made the most of its first home regional appearance, defeating Westminster, 8-2, in the opener. The Blazers used a six-run second inning and four home runs to take control early, setting the tone for a powerful start to the regional. The win moved Belhaven into the winner’s bracket final against Emory.
The Blazers continued their momentum the next day, scoring in each of the first three innings and defeating Emory, 9-1, in five innings. The victory put Belhaven one win away from a regional title and kept the Blazers unbeaten through the first two games of the regional.
Emory forced the issue in the first regional championship game, handing Belhaven a 15-7 loss and creating a winner-take-all final. The Eagles built an early lead and later broke the game open with a seven-run seventh inning, forcing the Blazers to regroup with their season on the line.
Belhaven answered in the deciding game behind a complete-game shutout from Macy Funderburk. The Blazers scored twice in the third inning and added two insurance runs in the seventh, while Funderburk held Emory scoreless in a 4-0 victory. The win gave Belhaven the regional championship and sent the program to the NCAA Super Regional round once again.
NCAA Super Regional
The Blazers remained at home for the Jackson Super Regional against Wisconsin-Oshkosh and took control of the best-of-three series with a 5-1 win in Game 1. Belhaven scored three runs in the first inning and leaned on another complete-game effort from Funderburk to move within one victory of the NCAA Division III Finals.
Belhaven finished the sweep the next day with a 10-2 win over Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Liberty Gillihan led the offense with three hits and three RBI, while Maryanna Guy delivered a key three-run home run. The Blazers outscored Wisconsin-Oshkosh 15-3 across the two-game series, captured the Jackson Super Regional title and advanced to the NCAA Division III Finals for the second time in three seasons.
NCAA Division III Softball Championship Finals
In Salem, Virginia, Belhaven opened the national finals against No. 2 seed and defending national champion Trine. The Blazers battled back from an early deficit and brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh inning, but Trine held on for a 7-5 victory. The loss sent Belhaven into the elimination side of the bracket.
The Blazers kept their season alive the next day with a 3-2 win over Mount Union. In a tight elimination game, Belhaven managed enough offense behind key swings from Melissa Lopera and Liberty Gillihan, while Funderburk delivered a complete-game effort in the circle.
Belhaven followed with another elimination-game victory, defeating Rowan, 4-2. The Blazers scored four runs in the opening inning and turned again to Funderburk late, as she returned in relief to close out the win and send Belhaven into a rematch with Trine.
The national semifinal matchup brought Belhaven’s season to a close. Trine built an early lead and held off the Blazers, 5-2, ending Belhaven’s run one game shy of the championship series. The Blazers finished the year 44-12 after winning the CCS regular-season and tournament championships, capturing both the Belhaven Regional and Jackson Super Regional titles, and reaching the national semifinals for the second time in three seasons.
Huntingdon (At-Large Bid)
Huntingdon also represented the CCS in the NCAA postseason, earning an at-large bid and the No. 2 seed in the Seguin Regional hosted by Texas Lutheran. The Hawks opened regional play against Trinity and dropped a narrow 2-1 decision. Trinity scored single runs in the first two innings, while Huntingdon answered in the third on an RBI single from Kylie Stephens. The Hawks threatened throughout but were held to one run, moving into an elimination game against Penn State Behrend.
With their season on the line, Huntingdon responded with a 5-0 win over Penn State Behrend. The Hawks collected 12 hits, with Kate Dinkel going 3-for-3 and Kylie Stephens adding a key RBI triple. In the circle, Allie Roberts and McKenzie Little combined for a three-hit shutout to keep Huntingdon alive.
The Hawks then earned a rematch with Trinity and flipped the result, defeating the Tigers, 5-3, to advance to the regional championship. Huntingdon jumped ahead early, highlighted by a three-run hit from Stephens in the third inning. Trinity chipped away late, but Addison Gaines and Roberts combined to protect the lead and send the Hawks into the regional final for the second consecutive season.
Huntingdon’s postseason run ended against top-seeded Texas Lutheran in the Seguin Regional championship game. The Hawks scored in the fourth inning but could not erase the early deficit, falling 6-1 to the host Bulldogs. Huntingdon closed the season at 33-12 after earning its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and advancing to the regional championship round.
ABOUT THE COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE OF THE SOUTH (CCS)
The CCS is an NCAA Division III athletic conference that began play during the 2022-23 academic year. The conference features nine member institutions (Agnes Scott College, Asbury University, Belhaven University, Covenant College, Huntingdon College, LaGrange College, Maryville College, Piedmont University, and Wesleyan College) and sponsors championships across 14 sports. In addition to sharing the member institutions' geographic identity, the name 'Collegiate Conference of the South' is indicative of a shared commitment to academic excellence, which is commensurate with the NCAA Division III philosophy.