Western Washington University Athletics

HAYWARD, Calif. – The Western Washington University softball team had its 2026 season come to a close Friday at the NCAA II West Regional Championships falling to No. 2 seed and regional host Cal State East Bay 9-1 in an elimination game at Pioneer Softball Field.

 

The No. 7 seed Vikings entered the day in the winner's bracket and came within inches of advancing directly to Championship Friday before falling to No. 2 seed Biola 7-6 in walk-off fashion. WWU came back a few hours later facing CSUEB and had its season end in a 9-1 mercy rule 5-inning contest. 

 

The Vikings finished the season 35-22 while making its third consecutive trip to the NCAA West Regional Championships after winning third straight GNAC Tournament title.

 

After coming back from a 7-3 deficit in an 8-7 victory over Concordia Irvine in an elimination game, Cal State East Bay carried the momentum into the nightcap against the Vikings scoring seven runs in the top of the 1st inning. WWU loaded the bases and scored a run in the bottom of the 1st inning, but were held off the scoreboard the remainder of the shortened game to end the season.

 

"I'm just really proud of this team. I know the game didn't go the way we wanted it to, but the fact that we're here right now, and the way they left everything out on the field - we just kind of ran out of gas. But they fought to the end, and I couldn't be prouder of this group," said WWU head coach Sheryl Gilmore. "This team was a blast to coach, and we wouldn't even be in this position without these two seniors – Hailey Rath and Olivia Matlock – and the rest of the team. Honestly, what I told the team in the circle was that this was one of the most fun years I've ever had coaching. This group was a blast to coach. They're extremely coachable, led by these two seniors. The fact that we're sitting here at Regionals as the only team from our conference to make it is a testament to their leadership and the work they put in. I don't think I've ever been prouder of a group than I am of this one. This was a pretty special team."

 

Seniors Hailey Rath and Olivia Matlock concluded their collegiate careers with the final game of the 2026 season. Rath started in her 230th consecutive game, marking every game (and played every inning) of her collegiate career while finishing at Western's all-time leader in games played, games started, at-bats, hits, doubles, RBI, total bases and extra-base hits. In Friday's first game Rath hit a three-run home run becoming the GNAC's all-time RBI leader with 200 in her career.

 

Cal State East Bay (43-16) advance to the championship round of the regional facing Biola on Saturday with the opening game at noon. The Pioneers need a pair of wins over the Eagles to earn a Super Regional berth.
 

 

WWU played in the Hayward pod of the 2026 NCAA II West Regional Championship, with four teams competing for a spot in the super regional at Pioneer Softball Field on the Cal State East Bay campus. This marked the Vikings second consecutive trip to Cal State East Bay in regional play, knocking off the No. 1 seed Pioneers on the way to a Super Regional victory at Cal State San Marcos in 2025. The other side of the West Region bracket will be played on the campus of No. 1 seed Cal State San Marcos. The winner of each sub-regional advances to the West Super Regional played May 21-22 (best of 3), with the winner advancing to the NCAA II Championship Finals May 28-June 3 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

 

 

Thursday, May 14:

Game 1 –No. 7 Western Washington 3, No. 2 Cal State East Bay 2

Game 2 – No. 6 Biola 5, No. 3 Concordia Irvine 4

 

Friday, May 15:

Game 3 – No. 6 Biola 7, No. 7 Western Washington 6

Game 4 – No. 2 Cal State East Bay 8, No. 3 Concordia Irvine 7 (CUI eliminated)

Game 5 – No. 2 Cal State East Bay 9, No. 7 Western Washington 1 (WWU eliminated)

 

Saturday, May 16:

Game 6 – No. 6 Biola vs. No. 2 Cal State East Bay, 12:00 pm

Game 7 – No. 6 Biola vs. No. 2 Cal State East Bay, 2:30 pm (if necessary)

 

WWU made its eighth appearance in the NCAA Division II Softball Championships and third consecutive with back-to-back appearances in the D2 World Series in 2024 (Longwood, FL) and 2025 (Chattanooga, TN). 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 19-20 all-time in NCAA Tournament play, with 18 of the 19 wins over the last three seasons. WWU entered the 2026 postseason as the two-time defending West Regional Champion:

 

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

 

2026 (Hayward, CA):

Defeated Cal State East Bay, 3-2

Lost to Biola, 7-6

Lost to Cal State East Bay, 9-1

 

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

 

 

The WWU softball completed its 34th season in 2026 advancing to the NCAA West Regional Championship for the third consecutive season. The Vikings claimed their third consecutive GNAC tournament title in 2026 after finishing second during the regular season. WWU made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division II World Series in 2024 and 2025, and has made eight all-time appearances in the NCAA West Regional Championships. WWU won its second consecutive West Regional title in 2025 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 23 times during the 34-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 134-47 (.740). Head coach Sheryl Gilmore is the program's all-time leader in wins going 249-138 (.643) in her eight seasons at the helm of the program.