SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Bryant University softball team is set to begin the 2026 season in Texas, competing in the Aggie Classic hosted by Texas A&M, starting on Friday with two games against Abilene Christian and Providence.

The Bulldogs are coming off a great season in which they advanced to their first-ever America East Championship game, falling to Binghamton in the final game. The Black and Gold went 22-32 and 10-10 in conference last year. This is the second consecutive season the team has produced 10+ conference wins. Bryant also had six players earn All-conference, bringing coach Bianka Bell's total to 15 in her first two seasons at the helm. In two seasons as head coach, Bell has a 56-49 record (53% win percentage) and a 24-7 record at Conaty Park (77% win percentage). Bell's mark of 56 wins is the most wins for the first two seasons of a coach in program history.

The Black and Gold will be looking to replace five of their top-six hitters from last season, but do return four of their five pitchers that saw action a year ago.

Returners
Maddy Wachter, Jaelynn Lee, Bryce Clendenin, Chloe Jewitt, Arlisenny Rodriguez, Ginny Gex, Laniya Lewis, Jaiden McKenna, Gracie Bishop, Brooke Tracy, Lexi Powell, and Amira Rainer.

Newcomers
Transfers Alana Garcia and Gabriella Gesualdo signed in the off-season, and freshmen Arriana Williams, Jadyn Jenks, Keeley Whitaker, Teagan Thompson, Ella Kolenko, Nea Plisko, Carly Genzer, Emilia Mancusi, Alissa West and Scarlett Whittaker will make their Bulldog debuts this season.

Infielders

• Clendenin leads the way at third base. She was one of four Bulldogs to tally 40+ hits (42) last year and was named to the All-Rookie team last season.
• Clendenin will be joined by Rodriguez, who appeared in 32 games and made 13 starts.
• The returners will be accompanied by freshmen Jenks, Whitaker, Kolenko, Genzer, and West.
• Jenks was a four-year varsity player at Archer, tallying a .526 batting average and 1.782 slugging percentage. She was named to the Second Team All-Region, All-Championship, and All-American teams. Jenks also made the Elite 8 Senior All-State team.
• Whitaker was a standout at Sharpsville, winning three regional championships and helping her team win the District 10 championship in 2023. She was named to the All-Region and District first teams.
• Kolenko was a starter at George Ranch and was vital to her team going undefeated in 2024, and was named the BI District Playoff MVP.
• At Keller, Genzer made the First-Team All-District in 2024 and 2025. She was also the most improved player in 2023, Offensive MVP in 2024, and a two-time Defensive MVP.
• West was a two-year varsity player at Licking Heights. She batted over .480 in both seasons and had 16 extra base hits as a senior, including ten doubles.

Outfielders

• Lee, Rainer, Lewis, and Gex will bring the experience to Bryant in the outfield.
• Lee played in 36 games, making 26 starts, and was named to the All-Rookie and Second teams. She tallied 18 hits, ten RBI, and six stolen bases. Lee made her mark in conference play, recording a batting average of .464 and an OPS of 1.023.
• Rainer played in 36 games and started in 22 of them. She had a career-high 15 hits and two home runs. Rainer was the hero on March 22nd, knocking in a walk-off single against Maine at Conaty Park.
• Lewis recorded a career-high 21 hits, along with 15 RBI, two doubles, one triple, and three home runs. She posted four multi-hit games, including a career-high three hits against Binghamton (Apr. 4). 
• Gex is returning for her junior year after playing in 11 games and making three starts last year.  
• The returners will be joined by transfers Garcia and Gesualdo, along with freshmen Williams and Thompson.
• Garcia joins the Bulldogs from Texas A&M Internation where she spent the last two seasons.
• Garcia appeared in a total of 80 games and made 54 starts in the outfield. She accumulated 36 hits, ten doubles, and 11 RBI.
• Gesualdo joins Bryant as a junior after playing the last two years at Monmouth. She had a career year last season, posting a .294 batting average with 25 hits and ten RBI as an outfielder.
• Williams was a four-year letter-winner at Newsome. She ended her career with a .385 batting average, 101 hits, and 19 XBH. Had a career year last season with 36 hits.
• At Lompoc HS, Thompson led her team in RBI, HRs, and SLG%, and she was named to the All-League first and second teams.

Pitchers

• Powell, Tracy, Wachter, and Jewitt all return after pitching last season.
• Powell was named to the preseason All-Conference team as a utility after appearing on the mound and seeing time as a designated player and at first base. She struck out a career-high 38 batters, including a career-best seven versus UMass Lowell (Apr. 13).
• She also pitched a gem in the playoffs, registering her first-ever complete game against Binghamton (May. 7).
• Tracy appeared in 26 games, making nine starts. She threw a career-high 56.2 innings and recorded her third consecutive season of 30+ strikeouts.
• Wachter earned a spot on the All-Rookie team last season after posting a 10-8 record and recording seven complete games. She threw a no-hitter in the regular season finale against Maine (May. 3) and threw a CG shutout versus Lafayette (Feb. 14) with a career-high 11 Ks.
• Jewitt had 15 appearances and six starts last year, posting her first career complete game against Lafayette (Feb. 15).
• Plisko and Whittaker will make their debuts on the mound in 2026.
• Plisko played varsity softball at New Milford. She tallied 28 innings with 35 Ks as a senior and an ERA of 2.4. She is a three-time All-SWC selection and earned All-Conference honors as a senior.
• Whittaker is the career strikeout leader at Fredricksburg Christian with 450. She was the conference player of the year in 2024 & 2025 and also made first-team all-conference and state multiple times. Whittaker is the single-season strikeout leader with 166 as a senior.

Catchers

• Bishop and McKenna return this year for the Bulldogs.
• Bishop played in 33 games, making 20 starts behind the plate. She posted career-highs in hits (13), RBI (9), stolen bases (9), and doubles (9). She threw out base runners in back-to-back games against Boston College (Mar. 19), and Maine (Mar. 22).
• McKenna played in 25 games and made her presence known on the base path, recording eight stolen bases.
• The duo will be joined by freshman Mancusi.
• Mancusi was a standout player at The Ursuline School.