Colby Softball Enjoys Historic Season
How the program went from an underdog to a national powerhouse
Editor’s note: Our photographers spent the spring embedded with Colby’s baseball and softball teams to document their historic seasons. Today, we publish our coverage of the 50th season of Colby softball. Read about baseball’s 150th season here.
Celebrating its 50th season, Colby women’s softball reached new heights this year, finishing with 30 wins—the most in program history—a No. 14 national ranking, and its first berth in the NCAA tournament.
Capping a season of unprecedented on-field success, the Colby softball coaching staff was named the Region 1 Coaching Staff of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. The honor recognizes Head Coach Terren Allen and Assistant Head Coach Dorothy O’Donnell as part of an elite group of 10 DIII coaching staffs nationwide for leadership, strategic execution, and program success.
The historic run ended on the road against host Rowan University in the NCAA Glassboro Super Regional round in New Jersey, but the season-long journey affirmed Colby as a rising powerhouse as it builds on the program’s 50-year history.
‘It’s come a long way’
Long before the state-of-the-art Colby Baseball and Softball Complex opened in 2015, softball players on Colby’s first team trooped up Runnals Hill to compete on a homemade softball diamond.
“I went up there one afternoon with a shovel and a rake,” said Gene DeLorenzo ’75, the program’s first coach, in 1976. “I cut out little squares for home plate, first, and second on the grass. I cut ice hockey sticks in half, drilled holes in the tops of the sticks, knocked them into the ground, and tied a string through the holes all the way around the outfield for our fence. If the ball went over the string, it was a home run, and if it went under the string, it was a ground-rule double. Needless to say, it’s come a long way since then.”
DeLorenzo had just graduated when athletic director and legendary football coach Dick McGee tapped him to coach basketball and the newly created women’s softball team. “There was no softball before then, but I was happy to do it,” said DeLorenzo, who coached the team until 1992.
The first team had a budget of $800, a set of old baseball uniforms, and a dream. “It was pretty shoestring, but we had a blast,” said Captain Patty Valavanis Smith ’80. “We did really well, playing against bigger teams like UMaine-Orono and beating them, which was a big feather in our cap for sure. I remember pitching the state tournament in 1979 and winning, which was such a great feeling.”
The tradition continues
Colby softball has continued this winning tradition, competing in the NESCAC tournament the last five years and reaching the conference championship last year.
This year, six members of the Colby softball program earned recognition in the 2026 Division III All-Region awards following a vote by the region’s head coaches. The Mules placed three players on the All-Region First Team, headlined by senior outfielder Carissa Cassidy ’26, pitcher Sophia Meade ’28, and third baseman Avery Lyman ’28. Earning a spot on the All-Region Second Team was first-year pitcher Sharlotte Stazinski ’29, while first baseman Ella Wilcox ’27 and utility player Juliana Kiley ’27 both received All-Region Third Team honors.
During the historic season, the team honored Richard “Dick” Bailey, the winningest softball coach in team history, with 197 victories, during an on-field ceremony. Bailey led the team for 13 seasons from 1997 to 2009.
When team Captain Cassidy talks about career highlights, she does not focus on fielding percentage or successful at-bats. “As a team, we live for the big moments, but the little things in between are what matter, whether it’s bus rides to away games or meals after practice. Those are my favorite memories,” she said. “Knowing that you’re representing something far bigger than yourself when you put on the jersey makes everything even that much more meaningful.”
Coaching people, not just athletes
Today, Colby athletes have access to a top-tier softball facility that includes synthetic-turf fields, full lighting for night practices and games, hitting tunnels for batting practice, and heated dugouts and turf, allowing for year-round practice in Maine’s long winters and cold springs. Coupled with the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center, this allows the softball team to meet the challenges of today’s version of the sport alongside their demanding academic load.
Allen believes in coaching people, not just athletes. As the game continues to evolve, she hopes to build a culture where her team can thrive on and off the field.
“Over the past 50 years, softball as a sport has undergone significant changes, both on and off the field. Advances in equipment, training methods, and strategy have raised the level of play across the country, making the game faster and more competitive,” she said. “At our program, I’ve seen firsthand the impact of this evolution. Our players are not only talented athletes, but also dedicated students.”
Colby student athletes take the “student” part of that label seriously, approaching their athletic pursuits with the same discipline and curiosity as their academic studies. Said Cassidy, “Since my first year, Coach Allen has really fostered an environment that allows us to grow not only as student-athletes, but as individuals. She always encourages us to push the boundaries of what we think is possible and to push each other to become the best teammates we can possibly be.”
What stands out to current and past team members isn’t just the heart-stopping, bases-loaded moments, but the friendships that make showing up to the field every day worthwhile.
“Of course, I miss the exhilaration of hitting a home run and running around the bases, but more than that, I miss the camaraderie and close relationships with the rest of the team,” said pitcher Amanda Cabral ’23. “I think Coach Allen really helped me be more confident on and off the field. Playing sports in general, you learn how to be a team player, and how to work hard, but as I look at my life after graduation, the main lessons I took away from softball were about building relationships and how to be a better person.”
“It was such an important part of my life, and we were so happy to be there,” recalled Smith. “I’ve made lifelong friends through Colby softball, and we’ve still stayed in touch, all these years later.”
Competing 50 years later, Cassidy echoed those sentiments. “Getting to step onto a field every day with some of your best friends is such a gift. Being able to play with so much passion and love for each other and for the game itself is really special.”
Added Allen, “The sense of community and camaraderie is palpable, and it’s wonderful to see players develop a deep love for the game that stays with them long after they graduate. As a coach, it’s incredibly rewarding to be part of this community, and I’m proud of what our team has accomplished during my time on the Hill. We’re not just building a successful softball program. We’re building lifelong connections and memories that will last a lifetime.”
The NCAA playoff run
The team began its NCAA run with a trip to nearby Bangor and Husson University’s O’Keefe Field for the Division III regional round, needing four wins to advance. The Mules dropped the opening game of the weekend, 7-2, to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but followed up with a thrilling 3-2 walk-off win over Husson. Emma Burnham ’26 belted two home runs, including the game-winner, setting up Colby to face Endicott College.
That game was another thriller. Colby used a five-run sixth inning to overcome a two-run deficit, defeating Endicott, 6-3. Cassidy tripled and scored on a single by Burnham to take an early lead, and Kelsey Sullivan ‘26, Cassidy, and Burnham powered a five-run rally that paced the win. Meade earned the victory with four shutout innings.
Next up, Colby accomplished one of the hardest feats in tournament play by defeating the same team in back-to-back games on the same day. Colby beat MIT 9-2 and 8-5, capturing its first NCAA Regional title and advancing to the NCAA Division III Super Regional round. In the process, the Mules became the first softball team from the state of Maine, regardless of division, to win a regional tournament.
The Mules hopped on the bus for an eight-hour bus ride to New Jersey in the midst of a spring heat wave.
In the first game, Avery Lyman ’29 drove in three runs and finished 3-for-3 while Burnham scored four times. Juliana Kiley ’27 had two hits and two RBIs, and senior Victoria Ramirez ’26 added two hits and an RBI. Meade again was stellar out of the pen, tossing 5.2 scoreless innings.
The second game was close until the fifth inning when the Mules scored four times, highlighted by a two-run triple by Cassidy. Sharlotte Stazinski ’29 earned the win in relief, and Meade recorded her fifth save to help the Mules reach the 30-win mark for the first time.
The historic run ended when Colby fell 3-0 to Rowan. Colby managed seven hits, but couldn’t score, ending the season with a disappointing loss and also with a sense of triumph.
