For the first time since 2013, Santa Fe College softball has punched its ticket to the NJCAA World Series.
The Saints (45-15) earned the 11th seed in the 2026 NJCAA DI Softball World Series held in Oxford, Alabama. Santa Fe will open against 6-seed Odessa College on May 25 at 6:45 p.m.
Santa Fe is coming off a fourth-place finish at the FCSAA DI Softball Championship tournament in Clearwater and are one of four teams from NJCAA Region 8 selected to the World Series field, joining Florida Southwestern, Northwest Florida State and Eastern Florida.
The Saints have posted their first 40-win season since 2013 with a blend of power and pitching, ranking 13th nationally in home runs with 72 and 21st nationally with 395 RBIs. Sophomore Belle Mancillas has emerged as the ace of Santa Fe’s pitching staff, going 18-6 with a 1.35 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 170 2/3 innings.
Key standouts at the plate for Santa Fe include center fielder Molly Bender (.393, 13 home runs, 46 RBIs, 24 doubles, 48 steals) and third baseman McKenzie Cox (.368, 18 home runs, 73 RBIs).
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Sante Fe College softball punches ticket to NJCAA World Series
Reporting by Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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