ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University softball team is ramping up for the start of their 2026 season.
AU softball is led by none other than Head Coach Luke Wesneski who is entering his 11th season with the team. Since taking over in 2015, he has been an impactful leader for his squad, piling on numerous accomplishments during his tenure. With Wesneski at the helm, the Saxons have only missed the Empire 8 conference tournament once, while winning on three occasions. Posting an impressive 245-139-1 career record with the squad, he sits at the top as the only coach in program history with three titles under his belt.
After falling short in the '24 Empire 8 championship, the Saxons quickly turned the page, as they reached even higher heights in the '25 season. AU boasted a strong 33-11 overall record and 18-4 conference record. As the Saxons marched their way through the Empire 8 tournament undefeated, they wrapped it all up with a bow by taking down reigning champions, St. John Fisher University for the program's fourth championship title (2015, 2021, 2022, 2025), along with one of the best regular seasons the Saxons have ever seen. AU's strong year came to a close in the NCAA Regional Championship where they picked up a win against Farmingdale State College and fell to the No.2 seeded Christopher Newport University.
The Saxons will enter the new season with a shaken-up roster as they lost some veteran leadership in Meghan Neto '25 and Abigail Gatza '25.
"We have six first-years", Wesneski said. "We lost some key players and those are tough losses, but we do have some outstanding returners that know what it takes to win a championship."
In the outfield, is the junior All-Empire 8 Second Team Honoree, Samantha Vidal (Lake Worth, FL/Forest Hill). Vidal led the team last year in stolen bases with 45 total and ranks second in program history for career stolen bases (75).
Molly Whitmyer (Enola, PA/Trinity) will be another key contributor for the Saxons as she transferred into the program last year and immediately made a huge impact. In her inaugural season with Alfred University, Whitmyer garnered 2025 Christopher Newport University All-Region Team, Player of the Year Watchlist for Region III, and NFCA Division III All-Region Second Team recognition. She recorded nine home runs, 52 RBI and 14 doubles, numbers that cement her name in the school's record books.
Alfred University will see Kendall Steward (Kendall, NY/Randolph) return to the circle as a recipient of the 2025 NFCA Division III All-Region III Third Team and All-ECAC Team. Last season, Steward recorded the most wins in a season in program history, recording a staggering 23. Additionally, Steward recorded 147 strikeouts. Right behind her is sophomore Loretta Sorochty (Batavia, NY/Notre Dame Batavia) who delivered nine wins and 24 strikeouts last year. Joining them will be first-year Ava Galvan (Santa Fe Springs, CA/Santa Fe).
"This is a new team", said Wesneski. "We don't focus on back-to-back; we focus on team #33 winning their first title."
The Saxons will open the season in Clermont, FL for Spring Break on March 8-13 with the first game against Westminster College. Alfred University will kick off their first home game at Harrington Filed with their Alfred Cup matchup against Alfred State on Tuesday, March 26, at 4pm, playing it as an exhibitioned contest.
--Swords Forward Saxons--
