RIVER FOREST, Ill. – The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) softball team has concluded an impressive 2026 season. Under the guidance of head coach
Sarah O'Malley-Fisher , in her 14
th season at CUC, the Cougars got hot at the right time and made a run to reach the Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) tournament for the second year in a row, this year as the seventh seed. In addition, four Cougars received post season honors, including
Arissa Santos (Morena Valley, Calif.),
Melisa Hadzic (Westchester, Ill.),
Alyssa Campos (Eastvale, Calif.), and
McKyler Morris (Belvidere, Ill.).
Words from Coach O'Malley about the season
"Our season was a fast one, filled with ups and downs, and our players survived and thrived through it all. Heading into conference play, we opened with the top of the conference and played extremely well even though the record did not indicate it. The second half of our conference season was different. Team#66 went 11-5 in the last half and clinched a spot in the tournament with a sweep of AU, and they did it with a calm, supportive and fun-loving attitude. Through all the injuries, the cold and anything else you can conceivably think of, this group stayed true to what they knew they could accomplish. We may have fallen short at the tournament, but each game is a learning experience, and it will be fun to see what the returners can bring to Team #67."
Season Recap
The Cougars kicked off the season at the Florida Space Coast Games in Vieira Beach, Fla. over spring break. Over the four days of play, CUC would play two games per day against different teams. On day one, the squad opened their season with a 5-1 victory over Baruch College before falling 13-5 to Concordia College (Minn.) to split the day. The following day, the Cougars faced tough opponents in New England College and Anna Maria College. While CUC showed grit, they ultimately lost 5-3 and 8-0, respectively.
After a day of rest, the Cougars were back in action. Day three started off with an intense matchup against University of Dubuque. A two RBI single by
Eliza Auger (Littleton, Colo.) tied the game up in the bottom of the seventh, forcing extra innings. Unfortunately, CUC would fall 4-3 after eight innings. The team bounced back later that afternoon with a 9-4 victory against Rose-Hulman. On the final day in Florida, the Cougars dropped the first game, 13-2 to John Carroll University. Yet the Cougars dominated game two, taking down Houghton University, 12-3, where
Eden Pufahl (Laguna Hills, Calif.) took the win in the circle, pitching all seven innings and recording a career-high eight strikeouts. It was a strong ending to the week, as the Cougars left Florida going 3-5 overall.
Back in River Forest, CUC immediately began NACC play, hosting Lakeland University and then traveling to face Benedictine University. Against Lakeland, the Cougars rallied but an early deficit cost them the first game, 2-1. The Muskies kept the momentum in their favor for game two, sweeping CUC, 13-1. The following day, the Cougars found themselves in similar positions, trailing early and coming back in later innings. Unfortunately, in both games, the Eagles were able to walk it off, 6-5 and 17-13.
The Cougars then took a break from conference play for a double header against North Park University. The bats were hot as the squad dominated at the plate, combining for 23 hits over both games. Strong defense and two runs in the seventh secured a 7-4 victory in game one, while an offensive surge in game two gave the Cougars a 10-3 victory.
The Cougars carried that momentum into the weekend as they faced rival school, Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) for a NACC showdown. A defensive battle forced game one into extra innings, where a solo home run from Hadzic secured the walk off 4-3 victory, defeating the Falcons for the first time since 2021. Unfortunately, in game two, CUC struggled at the plate and fell 8-3. On Sunday, the Cougars came home for the Division Street rivalry against Dominican University. Both games went down to the wire, but the Stars swept the day, 6-5 and 4-2.
A non-conference doubleheader against Carthage College opened up April. In a nail-biting eight inning game one, the Cougars fell just short 8-7 before falling 7-1 in game two. On April 4, CUC resumed conference play against St. Norbert College. Despite a 10-3 loss in game one, the Cougars sought vengeance and won 6-3, earning an important split for the day. The next two NACC matchups also ended in split decisions. Rockford University came to town two days later and CUC snatched a 13-8 victory in game one. In game two, the Cougars showed grit and shifted the momentum in their favor as they rallied from behind. However, darkness closed out the game after six innings and the Regents took the game, 11-8. The Sabres of Marian University then visited River Forest, and the Cougars dominated game one, winning 8-0 in five innings. Game two proved to be a tougher battle and the Cougars fell 5-2.
Due to weather, CUC had to wait an entire week before getting back on the field in back-to-back NACC doubleheaders in Wisconsin. On April 18, the Cougars picked up a big sweep, defeating Edgewood University 3-2 and 15-8. The following day, the Cougars battled Alverno College. The squad struggled in game one, falling 5-1. However, the Cougars found their groove in game two. Hadzic recorded a career-high seven RBIs, going three-for-five at the plate, including a grand slam and a three-run homer. Her performance led the Cougars to a 14-5 victory to split with the Inferno.
Continuing on in conference play, CUC hosted Wisconsin Lutheran College.
Linley Southern (Decatur, Ill.) had herself a day, recording the RBI single to take a 5-4 victory in game one. She then homered in the second game to put the Cougars on the board as they won, 2-0. The next day, CUC traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to take on Milwaukee School of Engineering. While they fell 4-2 in game one, they picked up a split for the day, winning 9-2 in game two.
In the final week of the regular season, the Cougars played another non-conference doubleheader against North Central College (NCC) before taking on Aurora University in the regular season finale. Against the Cardinals, the Cougars gave it their all but ultimately lost both games, 2-1 and 8-4. In the final NACC doubleheader of the season, the Cougars hosted Aurora. In an impressive defensive showing, the Cougars made an offensive comeback to take game one, 3-2, off the bat of
Alyssa Campos (Eastvale, Calif.), who's solo home run walked it off for the Cougars. In game two, the Cougars went up early, as Auger recorded an RBI single in the second and her first career home run in the fourth. This proved to be enough as CUC swept the Spartans, 2-1. After the double header, the Cougars honored their five seniors, Hadzic, Santos, Pufahl,
Haley Gulsby (Englewood, Fla.) and
Katelyn Smith (Chatsworth, Ga.). The sweep also secured the seventh seed and a second consecutive appearance in the NACC playoffs
To prepare for the NACC playoffs, the Cougars played a doubleheader tune up against NCC. Both teams put on a show, as the teams played 20 innings of softball on May 5. Neither squad gave up but the Cardinals came out on top in both games. CUC fell 3-2 in nine innings in game one and 6-5 in game two after 11 intense innings of softball.
Two days later, the No. 7 Cougars faced off against No. 6 Marian in the NACC Tournament, hosted by Aurora. It wasn't CUC's day, as they fell 8-0 in the elimination game, ending their season. The Cougars had an impressive season, finishing 17-24 overall and 12-12 in conference play.
Highlights from Coach O'Malley-Fisher
"There were a lot of highlights on and off the field," Coach O'Malley-Fisher said. "We had a lot of extra inning games, highlighted with a win over CUW for the first time in quite a while. Plus, our extra-inning games against Benedictine, we showed a lot of grit in the coldest weather I've ever coached in, in 10 years. We had a lot of firsts, including
Eden Pufahl's and
Morgan Houfek's complete games in Florida. All of our new players got their first hits in Florida as well, which was awesome to see. Senior day as well, with a walk off to end game one from Campos and a complete team victory in game two for the sweep. We had players play through injuries, which took guts and a lot of rehab (never let anyone say DIII athletes are anything less than dedicated athletes). Finally, our van rides to the max and the music of "Golden" being played made travel unforgettable."
NACC Player of the Week
Hadzic was the lone Cougar to grab NACC Position Player of the Week on April 21
st for her standout performance that week. Throughout that week, she led the Cougars with a .529 batting average while slugging 1.294. Hadzic collected nine hits in 17 at-bats with 10 RBIs, three home runs, two doubles, and one triple. Most notably was her career performance against Alverno, where she picked up a career-high seven RBIs off a grand slam and a three-run homer.
Postseason Honors
Campos, Hadzic, Santos, and Morris each earned NACC All-Conference accolades.
Earning her second consecutive All-Conference honors, Campos was named to the NACC All-Conference Second Team. Appearing in all 41 contests, she finished the year with a .372 batting average while leading the team in runs (31), hits (45), doubles (18), and total bases (72). In the conference, she finished top 10 in doubles while also finishing in the top 20 in walks, home runs, slugging percentage, runs scored, and hits.
Hadzic, a senior, received her first postseason honor, being recognized on the NACC All-Conference Second Team alongside Campos. As the primary catcher for the Cougars, she posted a .368 batting average in 40 appearances. She led the squad in home runs with five and RBIs with 32, along with tallying 30 runs, 42 hits, and 10 doubles. In the NACC, Hadzic finished top 20 in many statistical categories including slugging percentage, RBIs, home runs, and sacrifice flies.
Recognized as NACC All-Conference Honorable Mention, Santos picked up postseason honors for the third time in her career. During her senior campaign, she appeared in 40 games and led the Cougars at the plate with a batting average of .402, seeing majority of the season from the designated player position. Santos finished the season with 41 hits, 13 doubles, 11 RBIs, while slugging .529. In the NACC, she finished eighth overall in total doubles while also making the top 20 list in both on base percentage and batting average.
Notching her second All-Conference award, recognized as NACC All-Conference Honorable Mention, Morris led the way in her junior season. She started and appeared in 39 games as the Cougars' main center fielder. Morris finished the season with a .349 batting average, 16 runs, 66 hits, 15 doubles, 23 RBIs, one home run, and a team best two triples. In the NACC, she ranked third in doubles. Recording a career-best four hits and three doubles against Benedictine, she totaled 77 putouts for the year.
Words from O'Malley-Fisher on Postseason Player Accolades
"Each one deserved the honor. Campos had a fantastic year both offensively and defensively. She learned every at bat and was working to continue her process as a great player. Melisa finished her career with the best one yet. Her athleticism and her maturity at the plate and catching our entire staff helped us secure that NACC tournament spot. It was so much fun to watch her and all of her senior class have their best years. Same can be said for Arissa, she played all year with a very serious injury and still hit .402. Her maturity and her leadership helped keep our team moving forward in a positive and passionate way. McKyler was the catalyst for our team. Her fun-loving spirit and her hard work helped keep us focused on our team's process. She constantly pushed the bar to be raised higher by focusing on what worked for the team. I was happy the conference saw their contributions to our team."
Graduating Seniors
As mentioned earlier, five Cougars will be graduating at the end of this year. Gulsby, Smith, Hadzic, Santos, and Pufahl were all recognized at the regular season finale in River Forest, after the sweep over Aurora. All five played critical roles on the team and their presence will be missed in future season.
Haley Gulsby played in 38 games this season with 36 starts. She ended the season with a batting average of .321 while recording 36 hits, nine doubles, one triple, 23 runs, and 14 RBIs.
Due to injury,
Katelyn Smith was sidelined for majority of the season but made an appearance in both games against Aurora on Senior Day.
Melisa Hadzic played in 37 games this season with 34 starts. She ended the season with a batting average of .368 and picked up 42 hits, 10 doubles, one triples, five home runs, 20 runs, and 32 RBIs.
Arissa Santos played in 39 games this season with 38 starts. She ended the season with a batting average of .402 and registered 41 hits, 13 doubles, nine runs, and 11 RBIs.
Eden Pufahl played in 22 games with seven starts this season, primarily season time in the circle. She ended the season with an ERA of 3.87 in 54.1 innings pitched and recorded 23 strikeouts.
Impactful Returners
With five Cougars graduating, the team will have a solid core group of veterans returning for the 2027 season. NACC honorees Campos and Morris will return and continue to lead the Cougar hitting. Morris will continue to be a leader in the outfield while Campos will command the infield.
Other impactful returning infielders include
Eliza Auger (Littleton, Colo.) who shined in her debut season, stepping up as consistent leading shortstop, as well as
Mayah Larenas (Chino, Calif.) who controlled each game from first base. Other impactful players to look out for include
Linley Southern (Decatur, Ill.),
Emmie Lucero (Chino, Calif.),
Alaina Pilas (Chicago, Ill.), and
Emily Garcia (Eastvale, Calif.).
Aside from Pufahl, all pitchers will return to defend the circle for the Cougars.
Statistical Leaders
Batting
Batting Average:
Arissa Santos (.402)
Slugging Percentage:
Melisa Hadzic (.605)
Runs Scored:
Alyssa Campos (31)
Hits:
Alyssa Campos (45)
Home Runs:
Melisa Hadzic (5)
Runs Batted In: Melissa Hadzic (32)
Stolen Bases:
Eliza Auger (4)
Pitching
Earned Run Average:
Eden Pufahl (3.87)
Innings Pitched:
Alyssa Lopez (64.1)
Strikeouts:
Katie Davis (28)
Fielding
Putouts:
Mayah Larenas (289)
Assists:
Eliza Auger (91)
Fielding Double Plays:
Mayah Larenas (13)
Highlights
The Cougars will be back in action in 2027 for another season of CUC Softball. Coverage for all things postseason CUC Softball can be found at
cucougars.com/coverage.
