The Santa Fe College softball team is headed to the 2026 NJCAA DI World Series for the first time since 2013.

In fact, this year marks the first time since 2016 that any Santa Fe Athletics team has made the national tournament, with both baseball and volleyball making their respective national tournaments that season.

“We are so proud of the accomplishments of Saints Softball this year,” said Santa Fe College Athletics Director Chanda Stebbins. “Their body of work throughout the year has been solid. They play in arguably the toughest region in the nation, at times having at least eight teams from our region in the NJCAA top 25, so it is great to see them earn the at-large bid. It’s a solid reward for a robust schedule.”

But a bid was in doubt until Tuesday morning, when the team hosted a watch party during the NJCAA DI Softball World Series Selection Show.

The Saints went 2-2 to finish fourth at last week’s FCSAA Division I Softball Championship, but received an at-large bid and were one of four NJCAA Region 8 teams to make the field.

“It solidifies the work this group has put in to get to this moment,” said Santa Fe head coach Savanah Webster.

Santa Fe is 45-15 this season, including a 43-14 record in the region (.754).

“The key is the buy-in from everyone on the team,” Webster said. “This team is very supportive from top to bottom and really has fun with each other.”

Last year under Webster, the Saints finished 37-23 and ranked No. 15 in the nation. They reached the FCSAA B Bracket Championship game for the first time since 2013 and spent the last seven weeks of the season ranked in the NJCAA Division I Top 25.

“Solid coaches do three things that are imperative to their success,” Stebbins said. “They build transformational cultures, recruit really well, and emphasize player skill development. Savanah has a done great job recruiting the kind of students and people we want at our institution and on our teams.”

A total of 10 players signed to play at four-year schools in 2025.

“I have enjoyed seeing her student-athletes improve their skills under her and her staff’s direction,” Stebbins said. “I am so excited for them to get this opportunity to showcase Santa Fe Softball at the NJCAA World Series.”

Santa Fe sits at No. 13 nationally with 72 home runs and 21st with 395 RBI.

They boast four All-FCSAA players (Molly Bender and Belle Mancillas on First Team, McKenzie Cox and Sydney English on Second Team) as well as nine All-Citrus Conference Players (First Team: Bender, Cox, English, Mancillas, Ellie Frierson, Morgyn Stevens; Second Team: Chloe Woods, Haylee McCrea, Miranda Murch).

Bender, who is top 10 in the country in doubles (24), stolen bases (48), runs (84) and hit by pitches (17), was named Citrus North Player of the Year, while Mancillas was named Citrus North Pitcher of the Year.

Mancillas has a team-best 170.2 innings with 150 strikeouts and a team low 1.35 ERA. Opponents are hitting just under .200 (.199) against her.

“Belle is very gritty, hardworking, and competitive,” Webster said. “She has been the center of our team on and off the field.”

Cox is 18th in the country with her team-leading 18 home runs and is 12th in total bases with 160.

“Kenzie has been huge for us at the plate,” Webster said. “She has a lot of confidence and swings the bat with intent. I would describe her as a competitor; she wants to be the best and wants to be successful. She is one of the most competitive kids we have on the team; she’s a lot of fun to coach.”

The FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 continues to send multiple teams annually to the national tournament, sending 3-plus teams in each of the last three years.

The top two seeds in this year’s World Series, Florida SouthWestern State College and Northwest Florida State College, are from Region 8, along with No. 9 seed Eastern Florida State College.

The Saints earned the No. 11 seed in the 2026 NJCAA DI Softball World Series at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama. They will play on Monday, May 25, against No. 6 seed Odessa College at 5:45 p.m. CT (6:45 p.m. EST).

The Wranglers (51-7), who went 36-0 at home this year but just 3-2 at neutral sites, are making their sixth consecutive trip to the World Series.

“If we can come in with confidence and play our game, we will be very successful,” Webster said. “We are a team that likes to compete but have fun and when we’re doing that, we hit and pitch very well.”

You can view the 2026 NJCAA DI Softball World Series Bracket here and also follow along on the NJCAA Network.