WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The 2026 Maranatha Softball Season was a growing campaign for an inexperienced team, as the Sabercats battled through a winless season and focused on growth as individuals and as a team.

After a flurry of cancellations, the Sabercats finally played their first home games of the season on April 20. There would be only 7 home games total, spanning two different series, as the Sabercats hoped to take the field at Brandt-Quirk Park more frequently, but the spring Wisconsin weather rendered making plans for games sadly pointless.

Junior Grace Strauch led the way with a .412 batting average, smashing her second career home run in that April 20th doubleheader. Strauch registered 7 extra-base hits and 8 RBIs on the season, slugging at .706 percent. Her sister, Sarah, stepped into the circle as the Sabercats' primary pitcher, making 26 appearances for Maranatha during the season. Fellow freshman Layla Damotte stepped up defensively, putting out 42 opponents with 47 assists on the year.

Through it all, head coach Jarid Lawson and the group focused on what was under their control.

"We had eight newbies and five returners that made up our team this year," said Jarid Lawson. "So we had to harness the energy from the freshman, and they provided us with enthusiasm. [The freshman] along with the experience and leadership our returners brought made for some fun time this season.

"Our season was a roller coaster of ups and downs. We had a couple of pitchers that pitched for the first time about 9 weeks ago, which made it interesting when you a pitching in a pitcher-centered sport. We jumped into a big learning curve with several who have never played before, and it was fun to watch that growth happen. We had to deal with rain and a lot of game cancellations and through all of this there were lots of memories. We had several players record their first career hit. We had the growth into this softball family that we have, and that [the players] now have for the rest of their lives.

"We grew and we became a team focused on improving, and we realized it was more than a game, it was more than being just about me; it is about Praising Him."

SCHEDULE | ROSTER | STATS 

AWARDS

Most Valuable (Defensive): Layla Damotte
Most Valuable (Offensive): Grace Strauch
Coach's Award: Ryleigh Bill
Most Improved: Lily Snow
Praise Him Award: Sarah Strauch

NCCAA Scholar-Athlete Awards: TBA