ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Concordia-St. Paul softball team gets its 2026 season underway this weekend at the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament in St. Cloud. The Golden Bears will play four games over the weekend at the Husky Dome, opening the season on Friday, Feb.6 against the Bemidji State Beavers at 10 a.m.

CSP will play two on Friday, with the second game slated to start at 12 p.m. against Southwest Minnesota State. On Saturday, Feb. 7, the Golden Bears take on the Mustangs again at 12 p.m., before facing off against host St. Cloud State at 4 p.m. 

Last Season
The Golden Bears finished the 2025 season with a 25-29 overall record and a 17-11 record in NSIC play. CSP finished the season sixth in the NSIC, falling to Winona State in the first round of the NSIC Tournament. 

CSP finished 10th in the conference in average last season, batting .275 as a team. In the circle the Golden Bears finished ninth in the conference with a team ERA of 4.38. Concordia also smacked 40 home runs, 64 doubles and slugged .420 as a team. 

Concordia returns 16 players from last year's squad, while adding six newcomers to the roster for the upcoming season. 

Non-Conference Schedule
CSP will open the 2026 campaign at the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament hosted by St. Cloud State. All four games will be played at the Husky Dome in St. Cloud.

The tournament will feature three other NSIC teams in SMSU, Bemidji State and St. Cloud State. The games will count as non-conference games and not toward NSIC play. In total the Golden Bears will play 24 out of conference games before conference play opens on Mar. 21. 

On Feb. 19 CSP will head to Rosemount, Illinois for the Lewis Dome Invitational with five games scheduled over the course of three days. With the Golden Bears set to take on Wayne State (Mich.), Grand Valley, Upper Iowa, Truman and Quincy. 

Concordia will close out February at the NSIC/MIAA Crossover in Shawnee, Kansas, with five games scheduled at the Mid-America Sports Complex. 

The following week the Golden Bears will head to Melbourne, Florida for the Space Coast Spring Games, with 10 games scheduled over the course of the week.

NSIC Outlook 
The Golden Bears were picked sixth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll ahead of the 2026 season. CSP received a total of 148 points in the poll coming in behind fifth place St. Cloud State with 175 points and ahead of seventh-place Wayne State with 138 points. 

For the seventh consecutive season Augustana was picked to finish first, the Vikings received 221 points and 12 first-place votes. Augustana finished the regular season atop the NSIC standing for the fifth consecutive season and won the NSIC Tournament. 

Winona State was picked to finish second and received 202 points and the remaining four first place votes. The Warriors finished third last season and made it to the NSIC Championship game before falling to the Vikings. 

"The conference is definitely starting to get better and better, so there are no easy games," Head coach Bob Bartel said. "We've got to come ready to play whoever's on the schedule." 

Minnesota State slotted in third in the poll, with Minnesota Duluth coming in fourth. Newcomer Jamestown was picked to finish 15th and UMary was picked to finish last in the preseason poll. 

In the Circle: Pitchers
The Golden Bears return four pitchers from last year's staff, with Erica McCullough being the only departure after graduating at the end of last season. The 2026 staff will be returners Emmy Bowne, Tatum Dunlavy, Mikayla Wigern, Abi Carter and incoming freshman Skyler Lee. 

Bowne and Dunalvy are expected to be the majority of starters, with the other three expected to come in and get big outs out of the bullpen throughout the year. 

Emmy Bowne is coming off a sophomore season where she posted a 3.53 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and a 9-11 record in 125.0 innings of work. Bowne is looking to build off her sophomore campaign, which was her first full season of action after suffering a season ending injury in her freshman season, with Bowne being named CSP's pitcher to watch entering the 2026 season. 

"We're looking for her to get back to throwing consistent quality strikes," Bartel said. " Her competitiveness and want to win is always there, we look for her to lead by example and go out there and be a bulldog." 

Tatum Dunalvy made 26 appearances and 19 starts, posting a 5.23 ERA, 1.89 WHIP and tossing 10 complete games in 107.0 innings of work. After getting adjusted to the Division II game in her freshman season, Dunlavy will look to further establish herself as a key piece of the CSP pitching staff this season. 

 Rounding out the returners from last year are Mikayla Wigern and Abi Carter, both will see expanded roles this season after pitching a combined 22.0 innings last season. Carter in particular is back after a season ending injury, looking to provide depth to the staff, while also seeing action at first base. 

Skyler Lee is the lone addition to the pitching staff, coming to CSP by way of La Verne, California. 

Behind the Dish: Catchers 
Senior Danni Sharum returns at catcher for the Golden Bears after missing all of last season due to injury. In 2024 Sharum batted .366 with a .435 on-base percentage and .566 slugging percentage, while smacking seven home runs and driving in 44 runs. 

"It just deepens our lineup having her back," Bartel said. "She's a constant threat for power and she can drive in runs offensively." 

The catcher position as a whole is deep for CSP entering the 2026 season, with Bryleigh Dana and Katie Klotz returning after splitting time behind the dish last season. Dana posted a .254 average, .306 OBP and slugged .418 in 134 at bats last season, Klotz batted .257 in 144 at bats in 2025. 

Klotz will slot in the lineup as a designated player, but her and Dana will slot in defensively as well, with Sharum moving to the DP spot occasionally. 

Incoming freshman Leah French will also be added to the mix as an option at catcher.

Around the Horn: Infield
With Rachel Novak and Sydney Pelzer graduating at the conclusion of the 2025 season, the Golden Bears will have a different infield mix in 2026. With the most notable move being Alexis Monty sliding over to shortstop from third base. 

Monty was tabbed as the Golden Bears player to watch entering the season after posting a .339/.397/.552 slash line last season and being named All-NSIC Second Team. The junior returns to shortstop, the position she played in high school, after playing the first two seasons of her collegiate career at third base. 

"She's got great range, great glove and has definitely improved her arm strength," Bartel said. "She has the softball smarts to play that position, so that was my thought going into this year was to move her to shortstop." 

Offensively Monty will slot into the three hole in the lineup after posting solid numbers at the plate in each of her first two seasons. 

At third base incoming freshman Gabby Martinez and sophomore Rylie Rasmussen will see time at the position. Martinez a native of Oakdale, Minnesota, comes to CSP after being named four-time All-Metro East conference while at North St. Paul High School. 

Rasmussen appeared in 12 games last season and made two starts, with three hits in 13 at bats and two RBI. 

Riley Rosenthal will slot in at second base for the Golden Bears, after posting a .285/.307/.436 slash line. 

"This will be her third year starting at second," Bartel said. "She's very consistent out there in the field, she knows what defense we're playing and where she should be." 

Winona State transfer Nora Brandt will be at first base for the Golden Bears in 2026, after appearing in 21 games for the Warriors last season. Brandt smacked 12 hits in 40 at bats and drove in four runs in her freshman season with Winona. 

"She's going to hit in the five spot for us, she's brought a really consistent bat with a little bit of pop," Bartel said. "She can also run the bases very well and is an extremely hard worker." 

Freshman Paige Wyngaard is a newcomer to the infield mix as well as a quality depth option, seeing action at both second base and shortstop during the fall season. 

Left to Right: Outfielders
Patrolling the outfield for the Golden Bears will be the same starting trio of Lily Burke, Ava Blake and Ella Arendt. With Emily Knoblauch, Haley Knoblauch, Ashlyn Peterson and Gustavus transfer Amanda Barnacle slotting in behind them. 

Ava Blake returns as the starting centerfielder for CSP after posting a .286/.389/.316 slash line in freshman campaign. 

Lily Burke will start in left field and move into the leadoff spot for CSP after batting in the nine hole in her freshman season. In right field Ella Arendt will get the starting nod, after starting 42 games for CSP last season. 

Sophomore Ashlyn Peterson will be a part of the outfield mix as well, while also working in at second base, giving the Golden Bears added depth in the infield and outfield. Peterson appeared in 35 games last season and made nine starts, accumulating three hits in 26 at-bats. 

The lone newcomer to the outfield mix is Amanda Barnacle, a mid-year transfer from Gustavus. Barnacle a native of Rogers, Minnesota, comes to CSP after spending her freshman season with the Gusties. Barnacle's twin sister Lauren is a member of the CSP lacrosse team, giving Amanda a chance to move closer to home and attend the same school as her sister. 

"We've only had her for three or four weeks, but she goes and gets the ball in the outfield," Bartel said. "And she's an all-around good player." 

In the Dugout: Coaching Staff
Bartel enters his 22nd season with a 591-485-1 record in his time with the Golden Bears. Tom Mauer, Whitney Johnson, Rick Pickett, Craig Morris and Joey Scanlan will return as assistant coaches.