Chattanooga, Tenn. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College's softball team's quest for the NCAA Division II National Championship will face another difficult challenge on Saturday when they meet West Texas A&M University of Canyon, Texas.

 

In the eight-team, double-elimination format at the World Series, the Spartans (38-13) and Lady Buffs (52-9) will square off at 11 a.m. at Frost Stadium at Warner Park. In yesterday's first-round games, eight-seeded STAC dropped a hard-fought 4-2 decision to No. 1 seeded Saint Leo University and fifth-seeded WTAMU fell 5-4 to fourth-seeded Cal State San Marcos. The STAC-WTAMU winner will play again at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The World Series continues through Wednesday, June 3.

 

West Texas A&M entered the World Series as one of the most respected Division II programs in the country. The Lady Buffs captured Div. II national championships in 2014 and 2021 and have won 50 games or more in each of the last four seasons. This year's team is led by three first-team All-Americans and a powerful offense that boasts very impressive numbers. Jordyn De Los Santos was named the D2CCA National Player of the Year with 26 homers, 96 RBI and a gaudy .507 batting average. Pitcher Brooke Janning, who is 24-4, was named the NFCA National Freshman of the Year, and outfielder Bella Holland were also named to the first team. 

 

The Lady Buffs have hit 114 home runs and four players have batting averages higher than .400. They have also stolen 119 bases with six players sporting double-digit totals.

 

"This is the World Series, so every team in the field is loaded with top players," said Kristen Sullivan, STAC's Head Coach. "Our girls played a highly competitive game yesterday against the top-seeded team in the tourney so it was a real confidence builder for us. We proved we belong with the best Division II teams in the nation. West Texas A&M is one of the nation's top programs and I am eager to see how we fare against such quality competition."

 

2026 NCAA Division II Softball Championship -- World Series (May 28-June 3)
at Frost Stadium at Warner Park - Chattanooga, Tennessee

Thursday, May 28

Game 1: No. 1 Saint Leo 4 vs. No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas 2

Game 2: No. 4 Cal State San Marcos 5 vs. No. 5 West Texas A&M 4

Game 3: No. 2 Missouri Southern State 5 vs. No. 7 Glenville State 3 

Game 4: No. 3 North Georgia 0 vs. No. 6 McKendree 1

Friday, May 29

Game 5: No. 1 Saint Leo 5 vs. No. 4 Cal State San Marcos 3

Game 6: No. 2 Missouri Southern State 2 vs. No. 6 McKendree 3

Saturday, May 30

Game 7: No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas vs. No. 5 West Texas A&M - 11:00 a.m.

Game 8: No. 7 Glenville State vs. No. 3 North Georgia - 1:30 p.m.

Game 9: No. 2 Missouri Southern State vs. Winner of Game 7 - 4:00 p.m.

Game 10: No. 4 Cal State San Marcos vs. Winner of Game 8 - 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 31 

Game 11: No. 1 Saint Leo vs. Winner of Game 9 - 11:00 a.m.

Game 12: No. 6 McKendree vs. Winner of Game 10 - 1:30 p.m.

Game 13 (If Necessary) - 4:00 p.m.

Game 14 (If Necessary) - 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, June 1

Finals (Best of Three Series: Game One) - 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, June 3

Finals (Best of Three Series: Game Two) - 3:00 p.m.

Finals (Best of Three Series: Game Three - If Necessary) - 5:30 p.m.

All Games Broadcast on NCAA.com.