The 2026 Women’s College World Series (WCWS) features nine U.S. Women’s National Team (WNT) Athlete Pool members from six schools spanning three athletic conferences, including:
- Nebraska: Jordy Frahm
- Mississippi State: Sierra Sacco (Graduate Assistant)
- Tennessee: Karlyn Pickens, Aubrey Leach (Director of Player Development)
- Texas: Reese Atwood, Teagan Kavan
- Texas Tech: NiJaree Canady, Kayla Kowalik (Assistant Coach)
- UCLA: Aleena Garcia
Click here for tickets, venue info and more on the 2026 WCWS »
Championship Series (June 3-5)
Opening day of the 2026 NCAA Softball Women’s College World Series (WCWS) saw six current members of the U.S. Women’s National Team (WNT) Athlete Pool take the field in Oklahoma City. Check out how the Eagles fared at Devon Park while representing their respective collegiate programs on Day 1 of the WCWS!
Texas Tech – NiJaree Canady, Kayla Kowalik (Asst. Coach)
Entering the WCWS as the No. 3 seed, Texas Tech came out swinging, tallying seven hits and a four-run fifth inning to power past Mississippi State, 8-0, in run-rule fashion. NiJaree Canady shined in the circle on Day 1, recording three strikeouts while limiting the Bulldog offense to just two hits through four innings to help secure the shutout victory for the Red Raiders. Texas Tech will advance to face Tennessee in the winner’s bracket on Saturday, May 30 at 2 p.m. CT.
NiJaree Canady (P) — 4 IP | 2 H | 0 R | 0 ER | 1 BB | 3 SO | 14 BF | 1.74 ERA
NiJaree Canady (Hitting) — 0-2 | 0 R | 0 RBI | 0 BB | 1 SO | .214 BA | .333 OBP | .405 SLG
Tennessee – Karlyn Pickens, Aubrey Leach (Staff)
Timely hitting and dominant pitching fueled Tennessee to a 6-3 victory over Texas in Game 2 of the WCWS as the Lady Vols totaled seven hits on the afternoon. Karlyn Pickens tossed three innings in the circle, striking out two while issuing no walks to help send the Big Orange to the winner’s bracket. Tennessee will take on Texas Tech on Saturday, May 30 at 2 p.m. CT.
Karlyn Pickens (P) — 3 IP | 4 H | 3 R | 2 ER | 0 BB | 2 SO | 13 BF | 1.60 ERA
Texas – Reese Atwood, Teagan Kavan
A slow offensive start pushed Texas into the loser’s bracket on Thursday afternoon following a 3-6 loss to Tennessee. In the circle, Teagan Kavan recorded three strikeouts across three innings of work, while Reese Atwood went 1-for-3 at the plate with one run scored. The Longhorns will continue tournament play against Mississippi State in an elimination game on Friday, May 29 at 6 p.m. CT.
Teagan Kavan (P) — 3 IP | 3 H | 3 R | 3 ER | 1 BB | 3 SO | 14 BF | 2.54 ERA
Reese Atwood — 1-3 | 1 R | 0 RBI | 0 BB | 0 SO | .337 BA | .424 OBP | .698 SLG
UCLA – Aleena Garcia
Despite a three-run third inning highlighted by back-to-back home runs, UCLA fell to No. 1 seed Alabama, 6-3, in Game 3 of the WCWS. Aleena Garcia went 1-for-3 at the plate with a sixth-inning single for the Bruins. UCLA will continue tournament play in an elimination game on Friday, May 29 at 8:30 p.m. CT against the loser of Nebraska/Arkansas.
Aleena Garcia — 1-3 | 0 R | 0 RBI | 0 BB | 1 SO | .366 BA | .493 OBP | .802 SLG
Nebraska – Jordy Frahm
Wrapping up Day 1 action, No. 1 Nebraska opened its WCWS campaign with a thrilling 5-3 extra-inning victory over No. 5 Arkansas. The Huskers tallied eight hits and five RBI in the win, while Jordy Frahm contributed one hit at the plate. Going the distance in the circle, Frahm dominated through ten innings of work, striking out nine while issuing just one walk to help lead Nebraska past the Razorbacks. The Huskers will now advance to face Alabama in the winner’s bracket on Saturday, May 30 at 6 p.m. CT.
Jordy Frahm (P) — | 10 IP | 8 H | 3 R | 3 ER | 1 BB | 9 SO | 38 BF | 1.19 ERA
Jordy Frahm — 1-5 | 0 R | 0 RBI | 0 BB | 0 SO | .411 BA | .504 OBP | .811 SLG
Following the conclusion of the WCWS, all nine WNT athletes will return to Oklahoma City to compete with Team USA at the USA Softball International Cup. Slated for July 30–August 3, the event will feature 36 athletes from the WNT Athlete Pool split across two squads — the U.S. WNT and the U.S. Women’s Elite Team — as they take on a top-ranked international opponents, including No. 1 Japan, No. 4 Canada, No. 5 Chinese Taipei, No. 8 China, No. 11 Australia and No. 42 American Samoa.
Click here for more information on the 2026 International Cup »
Also representing Team USA at the WCWS is current U.S. Men’s National Team (MNT) member Zac Shaw, who serves as an assistant coach at Mississippi State.
For more information on the USA Softball National Team Programs, visit USASoftball.com.