Softball Ready to Begin 2026 Season in Florida

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio. – The Mount Vernon Nazarene University softball team will open its 2026 season on Monday, March 2 in Melbourne, Florida against Hannibal-Lagrange University and the University of Michigan-Dearborn in the Space Coast Spring Games. 

Overall, MVNU will be playing 12 games in Florida before it dives into Crossroads League play on March 13 at Taylor University. Last season, MVNU finished with an overall record of 29-21, and placed sixth in the Crossroads League standings with a mark of 19-17.  

Mark Pratt is set to lead the Lady Cougars in his first season as head coach. He welcomes six freshmen to this year's roster: Sophia Yanka, Addison Mickley, Abigail Sapp, Taryn Craven, Mackenzie Reeves, and Makenzie Delaney. MVNU also rosters an experienced senior class that includes Brooklyn Krum, Zhari Hill, Kiera Mayer, and Avery Miller. 

Miller, a Chillicothe, Ohio native, earned All-Crossroads League First Team honors last season after posting an impressive .432 batting average and a .684 slugging percentage. She also recorded 58 RBIs and nine home runs. 

Mayer enters her senior season with 24 career home runs and is currently tied for the program record for the most in a career. Last year, she hit .283 with 41 hits and drove in 20 runs to go with four homers. 

Sophomore Skylar Zimmerman, from South Webster, Ohio, returns for her second season as a Lady Cougar after an outstanding freshman campaign. Zimmerman finished with a .407 batting average, tallying 70 hits, 40 RBI, and five home runs. 

MVNU's leader in homeruns last season is also returning. In her first season as a Lady Cougar, Dakota Staffan hit 10 out of the park to go with 32 RBI and a .372 batting average. 

The Lady Cougars will open their home schedule at Cougar Field on Saturday, March 21, hosting the Goshen College Maple Leafs in a doubleheader at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. 

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students, and working adults. With a 327-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth, and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education both in-seat and online to nearly 2,200 students from 36 states, 1 U.S. commonwealth and 41 foreign countries.