IRVINE, Calif. – The No. 3 nationally ranked Western Washington University softball team opened the 2026 season with a pair of wins Friday at the CUI Kickoff Classic.

 

WWU opened the five-game tournament with a 2-1 victory over Chico State in extra innings and capped the perfect day with an 8-4 win over Chaminade in the evening.

 

The Vikings enter the 2026 season ranked No. 3 after making consecutive NCAA Division II World Series appearances and winning the GNAC title last season.

 

The Vikings won Friday's season-opening game 2-1 over Chico State in eight innings. Sophomore right fielder EmmaJoy Wise plated the game-winning run in the first extra inning with a double to left center field for her third hit and second double of the game.

 

Freshman starting pitcher Alanna Wirtala was brilliant in her collegiate debut, earning the winning allowing three hits in the complete-game effort. The freshman out of Puyallup's Emerald Ridge High School struck out 11 batters, including the final three she faced with the potential tying run in scoring position due to the tiebreaker rule.

 

WWU opened the scoring in the third inning on a RBI double by junior All-American third baseman Maleah Andrews. Chico State leveled the score in the bottom of the fourth inning, and both teams left the bases loaded in the fifth inning.

 

Junior outfielders Rachel Traxler and Laila Carpenter both went 2-for-3 as the Vikings out-hit the Wildcats 9-3. 

 

Western Washington 2, Chico State 1 (Jan 30, 2026 at Irvine, CA)

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Western Washington.... 001 000 01 -  2  9  3      (1-0)

Chico State........... 000 100 00 -  1  3  1      (1-1)

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Pitchers: Western Washington - Wirtala and Chavez

Chico State - Tavares; Valdez(6) and Anderson

Win-Wirtala (1-0)  Loss-Tavares(0-1)  T-2:30  A-62

 

WWU completed a 2-0 start to the season Friday defeating Chaminade 8-4 to cap the first day of the CUI Kickoff Classic.

 

The Vikings allowed three runs in the first inning and fell behind 4-1, but scored seven unanswered runs to defeat the Silverswords in convincing fashion.

 

Senior shortstop Hailey Rath played a big part in the comeback win driving home the first run with a double in first inning and tied the game with a two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning. The three-time All-GNAC player finished 3-for-4 with three RBI.

 

Junior All-American third baseman Maleah Andrews was 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, scoring four runs in the leadoff spot in the lineup. Sophomore second baseman Haylee Kim added a 2-for-3 performance at the plate with a double.

 

Senior Olivia Matlock earned the win in the circle making her WWU pitching debut with 5.1 scoreless innings of relief. Matlock appeared in her 149th career college game, but first in the circle, recording five strikeouts while allowing three hits. Matlock was a star prep pitcher at Pe Ell-Willapa Valley High School prior to starting her collegiate career at Saint Martin's.

 

Western Washington 8, Chaminade 4 (Jan 30, 2026 at Irvine, CA)

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Chaminade............. 310 000 0 -  4  7   0      (0-2)

Western Washington.... 104 201 x -  8  11  1      (2-0)

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Pitchers: Western Washington – Ferguson, Matlock (2) and Pewitt

Chaminade – Lopez, Walker (3), Benson and Schneider

Win-Matlock (1-0)  Loss-Walker(0-1)  T-2:05  A-42

 

The Vikings (2-0) are back in action Saturday with two games during the second day of the CUI Kickoff Classic, facing San Francisco State (0-2) at 1 pm and tournament host Concordia Irvine (2-0) at 6:30 pm.

 

Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2026 season:

 

 

Here is a detailed look at WWU's five-game schedule at the CUI Kickoff Classic. A very informative tournament website is available at CUIGoldenEagles.com, which includes important fan information in regards to tickets and field locations. All games will feature live statistical updates online with links listed below:

 

 

WWU is now 15-19 all-time in season openers since the inaugural season in 1993. The Vikings are 9-7 in their last 16 season openers dating back to 2011.

 

This marks the Vikings sixth trip to the CUI Kickoff Classic in Irvine, California. In five previous trips in 2020 (1-4), 2022 (2-3), 2023 (2-3), 2024 (4-0) and 2025 (1-4) WWU has combined to go 10-14 in the CUI Kickoff Classic.

 

The Vikings finished first in the GNAC regular-season standings with a league record of 21-3, before going 3-0 to capture the program's fourth GNAC Championships tournament trophy. From there, the Vikings went 3-0 at the West Regional and defeated Cal State San Marcos 2-1 in a three-game super regional series to advance to the NCAA Championship Finals in Chattanooga, Tennessee. 

 

The WWU softball program enters its 34th season in 2026 while coming off a historic 47-13 season in 2025. The Vikings claimed their fourth GNAC title by winning the 2025 postseason tournament and advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships for the seventh time in program history. Playing in the NCAA postseason for the seventh time, WWU won its second consecutive West Regional title defeating Cal State East Bay in the sub-regional and Cal State San Marcos in the Super Regional. The historic season ended playing in the D2 World Series in Chattanooga, Tennessee, reaching the semifinal round (Final Four). 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. Over the last three seasons the program has combined to go 101-25 (.802).