LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates softball team is ready for a big 2026 campaign, with four All-NESCAC selections leading an experienced group into the season, which begins Sunday in Florida as the Bobcats take on Alverno at 10 a.m. and UMass Dartmouth at 12:15 p.m. for the start of 10 games in six days.

"They've put the time in, in the weight room outside of just our practices," head coach Kat McKay said. "They're really trying to perfect their craft and the first-years that are coming in behind the returnees are in the exact same place. They want to be here. They're hungry for it. So watching this leadership come in that's so talented, it's going to be an amazing season."

Senior captain Delaney Rankin (Harrison, Maine) leads a deep pitching staff in the circle for the Bobcats. A first team All-NESCAC and second team All-Region selection in 2025, Rankin posted a sparkling 1.82 ERA in 18 starts. She threw 16 complete games and tossed three shutouts while striking out an even 100 batters on the season. Rankin won 11 games for the Bobcats and held opponents to a .221 batting average.

"Before, when we had a smaller pitching staff, we weren't able to give Delaney the rest she needed," McKay said, "So now we're able to do that because we have six pitchers we can go to throughout the season." 

Junior Isabella Albro (New York City), sophomore Brigid Gaffny (North Andover, Mass.), sophomore Haley Alden (Manchester, N.H.), sophomore Rhyan Wachal (Highland Village, Texas) and first-year Claire Ballard (Windham, N.H.) join Rankin as options for McKay in the circle. Gaffny sported a 2.64 ERA in 50.1 innings pitched as a rookie last season. 

Most teams only use two or three pitchers in softball, so the Bobcats' depth is rare.

"I love baseball, so I love a good closer," McKay said. "When teams come up and they see our pitcher three, four times through the lineup, they start to hit, right? And they started to pick up on tendencies. Now we have the ability to say, 'okay, let's switch it up and honestly not lose a step.'"

Junior captain Isabel Bettencourt (Peabody, Mass.) is the team's catcher and also a force at the plate. A first team All-NESCAC and second team All-Region selection in 2025, Bettencourt led the Bobcats in pretty much every offensive category last year, hitting .378 with three home runs and 28 RBIs. She posted an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of .942.

"Bo's a stud behind the plate," McKay said. "The relationships that she has with our pitchers, knowing their strengths, their weaknesses, when to throw what pitch, has been amazing. She's such a leader, not just for the pitchers, but for the whole team back there."

Senior captain shortstop Ella Maher (Newton, Mass.) and senior third baseman Emma Yen (Albertson, N.Y.) were both second team All-NESCAC selections last year.

Maher led the Bobcats with a .403 on-base percentage while hitting .308 with a home run and 14 RBIs. Her 17 walks were tied for fourth-most in the NESCAC. Maher dramatically improved both offensively and defensively from her sophomore year, raising her batting average by 147 points while only committing eight errors for a career-best fielding percentage of .933 at the most demanding position on the field.

With pitchers fully aware of her talent at the plate, Yen was able to draw 15 walks while batting at the top of the order, seven more than her first two seasons combined. She helped set the table for the middle of the order all season, crossing the plate 22 times.

"Emma's a vacuum over there at third," McKay said. "She's laying out for balls. She's got quick hands, quick transitions. And she and Ella together on that left side of the field with Ella's range, the communication that they share, it's like they read each other's minds. It's been amazing." 

Bates is strong up the middle, with second team All-State center fielder junior Zariya Anderson (Medina, Minn.) making highlight plays seemingly every game. In 2025, Anderson finished second on the team with 18 RBIs and tied for second on the Bobcats with six doubles. Her batting average jumped nearly 30 points from her rookie season, up to .291, and her on-base percentage increased by nearly 40 points, to .352.

"She's so strong, just an explosive player and full of athleticism," McKay said. "So we're really looking forward to having her back in the lineup."

Juniors Sienna Pietrasiewicz (Norton, Mass.) and Emily Kennedy (East Hampton, N.Y.) flank Anderson in the outfield, while sophomore second baseman Maddy Miller (Norway, Maine) and senior first baseman Sophie Garber (Waterville Valley, N.H.) patrol the right side of the infield for Bates.

"It's very exciting because I've now been here long enough to have these women here for four years and they have bought into what we've been feeding the team," McKay said. "Just the culture, the style of play. The season can't start soon enough!"