RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The ACU softball team has found a way to respond most times over the past two months. They didn't get a chance to answer in the WAC Tournament because of an 8-0 loss to Utah Valley in the single elimination portion of the event on Wednesday.
The Wildcats finished the 2025 campaign with a 15-38 overall record but were 11-13 and tied for fourth place in the WAC - a respectable achievement considering they were picked to finish eighth out of nine teams in the preseason coaches poll.
"This was obviously not the result we hoped for, but I feel there is still a lot to be proud of and thankful for this season," first-year head coach Jo Koons said. "This group of young women battled each week, each game, and usually when hit with adversity came back with a stronger punch. I'll remember this team because they were my first as a head coach, but also because of how they fought and didn't care what other people thought we could or could not accomplish."
ACU, which was the No. 5 seed in the tournament, suffered some bad luck against No. 8 Utah Valley. The Wildcats hit three inning-ending double plays -- including two line drives to an infielder who was able to make two unassisted outs.
Starting pitcher
Lina Russo looked on her game through the first three innings of a scoreless affair. However, the Wolverines plated three runs in the fourth. Two stolen bases sandwiched between four consecutive two-out hits put ACU in a 3-0 hole.
The Wildcats loaded the bases in the fourth, but could not drive home a run.
Elizabeth Schaefer singled up the middle followed by walks from
Ari Maxwell and
Valerie Ornelas. But,
Audrey Lacina's groundball bounced right to Utah Valley's third baseman who simply put her foot down on the bag for the force out to escape the inning.
The Wolverines added another run in the fifth and sixth before Russo exited her final game at ACU. Sophomore
Ella Beeman then stepped into the circle to finish the sixth.
Graduate student
Taylor Bachmeyer led-off the contest with her 12th double of the season which pushes her to a tie for fourth place in ACU's Division I single-season doubles record.
Wednesday was the final game for eight seniors -- Ornelas, Lista,
Emily Berryhill, Bachmeyer,
Isabel Martinez,
Mckenley Clark, Russo and
Catrin Hoffman. But they were part of the group that got the Wildcats back to the WAC tournament, which ACU had missed in 2023 and 2024.
"We're trying to build a culture within the ACU softball program, and this team has done a lot of the heavy-lifting to make our future bright," said Koons.
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