PITTSBURGH, PA. - Tomorrow, the Chatham Softball team will head down South to play their first match of the 2026 season on Sunday, March 1st, in Clermont, FL at THE Spring Games.

The Cougars finished last season with a 6-14 conference record and an 14-26 overall, missing out on the PAC Championship Tournament. 

They were predicted to finish eleventh in the conference this year, but that isn't going to stop them from fighting their way through each game this season. "We are optimistic going into this season. I think we will be competitive with every team in our conference. We have quite a few starters returning, and we have added a few players that we feel will help our team," said coach Michael Marsili. 

Marsili, entering his 2nd season with the Cougars, has a very deep and long understanding of the game. In order to succeed, Marsili knows just how valuable the team's energy is for success, "I want our team to have the attitude that they expect to win every time they step on the field. The older girls and younger girls seem to have meshed nicely. The seniors are leading with the way, but not overdoing it and the younger girls are following with respect. This is only second season here but the vibe seems much better."

When looking at his veteran players, Marsili expects nothing different from them as he does the newcomers. "We have quite a few seniors on this year's team and we are not only looking for them to provide leadership, but on the field, we are expecting them to have their most productive seasons since being at Chatham. We're asking our veteran players to lead by example. I want my best players to be our hardest workers, this will show the younger players what we expect from them."

Five Cougars made it on the PAC Players to Watch list this season and part of it is due to the roster Marsili has built in the offseason. "We're expecting Victoria Murren to be our number one pitcher and give us a chance to win every time she pitches. We're looking for Wren Martin to have a big offensive year and provide steady defense at shortstop. We are also looking for some offensive punch from our other seniors: Kayleen Garcia, Cloe Lopez, and Chelsea Stabile. Olivia Harris will provide a calming, consistent presence behind the plate, and Sheaden Berkson will give us quality middy innings on the mound. Both Madi Gorney and Tori Cananaugh are very good hitters with some power and they both can pitch. For freshman, they have a lot of confidence and the stage doesn't;t seem to big for them. We need some pop in the middle of our lineup and they can provide it."

One thing Marsili and the team are prepared for is the schedule ahead, "Most of the teams in our conference are good hitting teams, so we are preparing to get better defensively to eliminate mistakes. Our pitchers are working on better command of their pitches to limit walks and avoid additional base runners, which in turn will reduce the number of runs allowed."

Things don't just come as we wish for them, so the coaching staff made vital changes for the team to succeed. "We talked about working on getting faster and more athletic. We need to steal more bases and prevent our opponents from stealing bases. We need to reduce the number of times out batters are striking out and put the ball in play more often. Overall, we just need to gain more confidence."

The Cougars open their season this Sunday, March 1st at 9AM down in the Sunshine State against Neumann.