HARROGATE, TN - Lincoln Memorial is headed back to the postseason and will host Mars Hill in the opening round of the 2026 South Atlantic Conference Softball Championship at Dorothy Neely Softball Complex. The No. 4 Railsplitters (20-22, 12-10 SAC) earned the final host spot after finishing tied with the Lions in the league standings and winning the tiebreaker thanks to a head-to-head sweep earlier this season in Mars Hill, N.C.
The best-of-three series begins Friday, May 1 at 4 p.m., with game two set for Saturday, May 2 at 1 p.m. Game three (if necessary) will follow Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The winner advances to the double-elimination championship bracket May 7–9 at the highest remaining seed.
LMU enters the tournament with one of the SAC's most productive lineups, hitting .305 as a team with 351 hits and 188 RBI. Reese Vivrette leads the way at .380, while Kristin Griffin has been a consistent run producer all season (.339, six homers, 35 RBI). Jordann Reagan (.336, 23 RBI) and Hannah McMeen (.307, six homers, 26 RBI) have also paced the offense, and Alyssa Maples has provided power in the middle of the order with four home runs.
Mars Hill (31-15, 12-10 SAC) brings an explosive attack of its own, batting .314 with 42 home runs on the year. The Lions are led in the circle by Kamryn Akins, who owns 16 wins with a 1.82 ERA and has been the catalyst for a standout season for the No. 5 seed.
With the bracket now set, LMU will look to carry its momentum into May as it opens postseason play at home with a chance to punch a ticket to championship weekend.
