Hard hitting and resilient: NGU softball season check-in
Ian Johnson, Staff Writer
Photo Courtesy of Robbie Gawrys
The North Greenville University Softball Team’s season has been nothing short of exciting. The Trailblazers lead the Northwest region with a 24-12 record (15-3 in conference). The team aims to make a deep playoff run once again.
In 2025, NGU entered the conference tournament as the No. 8 seed before making it to the championship game. On their way to the championship, they won four consecutive games, three decided by a single run.
“The conference tournament came around and we all just showed out,” said Maddie Stone, senior physical education major. “If one person didn’t get the big hit, then the next one got it.”
In the championship series, the Trailblazers lost to Francis Marion.
“It was a disappointing thing [to lose], but it revealed how good we can be,” said Stone.
Entering the 2026 season, the team returned six of its starters. Notable returners include 2025 All-Conference players: Karley Green, Maddie Stone and Emily Blackwell. Alongside the returning players, the team added key freshmen Neely Hartin and Laci Jarrell, as well as Clemson University transfer Haylee Whitesides.
NGU opened up the season with a series win against Anderson University. The Trailblazers encountered many ups and downs, but throughout it all, the team has been able to bounce back.
“You gotta have the never give up mentality,” said Karly Green, senior accounting major.
In the six series that the team has split, five of them have come after losing the first game of the series.
Stone described the team’s mentality by saying, “If it’s a bad game, that’s fine, but we need to figure out how that bad game doesn’t roll over to the next [game]. It’s just not letting the whole snowball effect happen.”
One of the reasons for the team’s success has been its batting ability. NGU leads the conference in batting average. Individually, Emily Blackwell and Lexie Metcalf have shown that they are two of the best hitters in the conference. Blackwell is in the top ten in the conference in batting average, on-base percentage, hits and doubles. Metcalf is also in the top ten in batting average while also being in the top three in hits and RBI’s.
Head Coach Sarah Hall said, “We’re good hitters, we can put runs on the board, top to bottom. I think across the board were strong, but our hitting is strong. Anybody can get a hit at any point.”
There is no better example of this than the team’s record-setting series against Johnson C. Smith. In the first game of the series, the team scored a program record 20 runs in one inning. Across the two games, the Trailblazers outscored their opponent 38-1.
As the season is coming to an end, the Trailblazers look to finish on a high note.
“We want to finish strong,” said Coach Hall. “We want to win our pod [division], and then we want to be a high seed in the conference tournament.”
The team will play its home finale in a doubleheader against King University on April 13.
