CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Western Washington University softball team concluded another historic season Sunday falling to UT Tyler 2-0 in the national semifinal round of the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament.

 

The No. 8 seed Vikings recorded a pair of wins Saturday to advance to the semifinal round as one of four teams remaining in the original 64-team bracket, but dropped the tightly-contested game to the defending national champion and No. 1 seed Patriots. WWU needed a pair of wins over UTT Sunday to advance to the national championship series that begins Tuesday in a best-of-three format at Frost Stadium at Warner Park.

 

WWU completed the 2025 season with a 47-13 record while making its second consecutive trip to the World Series equivalent for the NCAA Division II level. Over the last two seasons the Vikings have combined to go 99-25 for a .798 winning percentage.

 

Sunday's shutout loss to UT Tyler featured a complete-game two-hitter by Patriots starting pitcher Primrose Aholelei, who improved to 20-1 on the season by striking out seven batters and allowing one walk.

 

Viking sophomore Kaiana Kong matched Aholelei throughout the game allowing seven hits and two runs in the complete-game effort. The Vikings defense had another strong day with no errors on the scoresheet for the 31st time this season. Kong was saddled with the loss finishing the season 15-2 with seven saves and a 1.44 ERA.

 

UTT got a run in the bottom of the 1st inning on a sacrifice fly by first baseman Abbie Behe and added an insurance run in the bottom of the 6th on a single up the middle by shortstop Megan Geyer.

 

Aholelei retired 12 of the final 13 batters she faced to earn the victory advancing the Patriots to the national championship series for the second consecutive season.

 

Senior second baseman Kanilehua Pitoy went 1-for-3 to finish her career with a WWU record 218 hits. The Vikings senior class of pitcher Joie Baker, outfielders Lexi Barcomb and McKenna Crum, catcher Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez and Pitoy helped lead the Vikings to back-to-back historic seasons.

 

 

Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2025 season:

 

 

WWU made its seventh appearance in the NCAA Division II Softball Championships and second consecutive with back-to-back appearances in the World Series. Entering the 2024 postseason with one NCAA Tournament victory, the Vikings went 10-5 during the run to the national championship series last year and reached the semifinal round (Final Four) in 2025. Prior to moving to the NCAA level in 1999, WWU won the NAIA World Series in 1998 for the first team national championship in WWU Athletics history. Here is a look at the Vikings game-by-game listing in the NCAA Championships with the regional host site listed next to the year. The Vikings are 18-18 all-time in NCAA Tournament play, with 17 of the 18 wins over the last two seasons:

 

2003 (Bakersfield, CA):

Lost to UC Davis, 4-2

Lost to Humboldt State, 7-1

 

2007 (Turlock, CA):

Lost to Stanislaus State, 2-0

Lost to Sonoma State, 3-1

 

2011 (Chico, CA):

Lost to Chico State, 3-1

Lost to Central Washington, 8-4

 

2017 (Seaside, CA):

Defeated Cal State Monterey Bay, 5-3

Lost to Dixie State, 5-0

Lost to Sonoma State, 6-4

 

2021 (Irvine, CA):

Lost to Hawai'i Hilo, 3-0

Lost to Central Washington, 9-5

 

2024 (Bellingham, WA):

Defeated Azusa Pacific, 1-0

Lost to Cal State San Marcos, 4-3

Defeated Azusa Pacific, 3-0

Defeated Cal State San Marcos, 7-1

Defeated Cal State San Marcos, 2-1

Defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills, 4-3 (Super Regional)

Lost to Cal State Dominguez Hills, 3-2 (Super Regional)

Defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills, 7-6 (West Region Champions) – 8 innings

Defeated Wilmington (DE), 2-1 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL

Lost to UT Tyler, 10-1 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL

Defeated Auburn Montgomery, 7-1 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL

Defeated UIndy, 2-1 (9 inn.) (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL

Defeated UIndy, 7-0 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL

Lost to UT Tyler, 3-0 (NCAA Championship Series) – Longwood, FL

Lost to UT Tyler, 10-1 (NCAA Championship Series) – Longwood, FL

 

2025 (Hayward, CA):

Defeated Concordia Irvine, 8-0

Defeated Cal State East Bay, 2-1

Defeated Cal State East Bay, 6-2

Lost to Cal State San Marcos, 9-1 (Super Regional)

Defeated Cal State San Marcos, 4-1 (Super Regional)

Defeated Cal State San Marcos, 3-2 (Super Regional)

Lost to UT Tyler, 6-5 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Chattanooga, TN

Defeated North Georgia, 3-0 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Chattanooga, TN

Defeated Central Oklahoma, 3-2 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Chattanooga, TN

Lost to UT Tyler, 2-0 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Chattanooga, TN

 

Here are links on how to follow the 2025 NCAA Division II Softball Championships World Series in Tennessee:

 

• World Series Website
• Live Stats
• Webcast via NCAA.com
• Tickets
• NCAA Bracket
• Digital Gameday Program
• NCAA Softball

 

The WWU softball program completed its 33rd season in 2025 going 47-13 and reaching the NCAA II World Series for the second consecutive season. The Vikings won the 2025 GNAC regular-season title with a 21-3 league record and claimed back-to-back GNAC Tournament titles in 2024 and 2025. WWU advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships for the seventh time in program history in 2025, reaching the national semifinals as one of four teams remaining in the 64-team bracket. WWU's historic 2024 season included hosting the regional and super regional rounds at Viking Field. The historic season ended playing in the national championship series as part of the NCAA Division II Spring Sports Festival in Longwood, Florida. WWU has posted a winning record 22 times during the 33-year history of the program, which won the 1998 NAIA National Championship in only its sixth season to record the school's first ever team national title.