WPI softball takes record-setting run into NCAA Division 3 Tournament

TL;DR

WPI softball won the NEWMAC Championship, defeating MIT and securing an automatic bid to the NCAA Division 3 Tournament. The team celebrated their fourth tournament title, their first since 2022.

Key points

WPI won the NEWMAC Championship
Defeated MIT to capture the title
Secured an automatic bid to the NCAA Division 3 Tournament
First NEWMAC title since 2022
Won three elimination games

WPI EngineersMIT EngineersNEWMAC ChampionshipNCAA Division 3 Tournament

Players from the WPI softball team celebrate winning the NEWMAC Championship with a win over MIT at Rooftop Field on Sunday, May 10, 2026.

WORCESTER – As the regular-season NEWMAC champion, WPI hosted conference tourney games last weekend at Rooftop Field and the Engineers did not enjoy watching MIT celebrate on their home turf after an 8-5 win that dropped WPI to the elimination bracket.

“A couple of my seniors and I said (to the team), ‘Let this sink in. Watch what they’re doing. Use it as fuel going into our next games,’” WPI coach Heather Ross said. “I think that’s exactly what our team did knowing we didn’t want anybody else celebrating on our field besides us.”

WPI won three elimination games, including a 10-inning, 7-6 triumph over MIT on May 9, and a 10-3 victory over the other Engineers on May 10 to capture the program’s fourth NEWMAC tournament title (first since 2022) and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division 3 Tournament.

WPI will host a regional this weekend.

“It’s the same mentality we had all year,” Ross said. “We take things game by game and we’re focused on only the one game we’re playing. I think our team did a really good job bouncing back.”

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At 42-3, WPI has set a single-season program record for victories and is making its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance. The Engineers captured regional championships in 2015, 2016 and 2022, and, under Ross, advanced to the Division 3 World Series in 2022.

WPI is ranked 12th in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 25 poll.

The four-team, double-elimination regional is May 14-16 at Rooftop Field. WPI will face Albertus Magnus at 11 a.m. May 14. Stockton (N.J.) and UMass Dartmouth will play in the other first-round game.

“I’m very proud,” Ross said, “proud of the people we have on our team, their work ethic and their sacrifice since the beginning of the year. Because of their bond, we’re all on the same page with what we want to accomplish this year. That’s how we’re able to be where we’re at.”

Q&A

How did WPI softball secure their spot in the NCAA Division 3 Tournament?

WPI softball secured their spot by winning the NEWMAC Championship, which included three elimination games.

When did WPI softball last win the NEWMAC tournament before this year?

WPI softball last won the NEWMAC tournament in 2022.

What was the score of the decisive game against MIT in the NEWMAC Championship?

WPI defeated MIT 10-3 in the decisive game of the NEWMAC Championship.