Softball Travels to Valparaiso for Weekend Series

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont University Softball team (27–9, 14–3 MVC) travels to Valparaiso, Indiana, for their third Missouri Valley Conference series of the season against the Valparaiso Beacons. Due to weather forecasts, the series begins with a single game Friday at 2 p.m. CT, followed by a doubleheader Saturday starting at 12 p.m. CT. 

Belmont enters the weekend ranked No. 1 in the MVC and both the D1 Softball and Softball America Mid-Major Polls, for the first time in program history.  

Live stats will be available on belmontbruins.com. 

What's Bruin 

• Belmont enters the weekend 27–9 overall and 14–3 in MVC play following a series sweep over Drake. The Bruins have now recorded 12 shutouts this season, including 10 by ace Maya Johnson, and secured their seventh run-rule win of the year. 
• The Bruins currently sit first in the Missouri Valley Conference standings. 
• Defensively, the Bruins lead the conference with a .971 fielding percentage, totaling 696 putouts.
• Belmont ranks second in the MVC in hitting with a .299 batting average, 175 RBI, and a .388 on-base percentage. 
• Maya Johnson continues to dominate in the circle. The redshirt senior holds a 19–1 record with a 0.53 ERA, 265 strikeouts, and just 10 earned runs allowed. She has issued only 20 walks and recorded 10 shutouts this season. 
• She leads the NCAA in total strikeouts (265), strikeouts per seven innings (13.9), strikeout-to-walk ratio (13.88), and ERA (0.53). 
• Johnson earned a trio of honors this week, being named D1 Softball Mid-Major Pitcher of the Week, Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week, and NFCA Pitcher of the Week. Her fifth NFCA weekly honor makes her the first Division I player to receive the award five times in a single season. 
• Johnson has earned MVC Pitcher of the Week honors in eight of nine weeks this season. 
• Earlier this season, Johnson surpassed 1,000 career strikeouts during a doubleheader against Murray State (March 24), becoming the 101st player in NCAA Division I history to reach the milestone. She currently has 1,054 career strikeouts and is one of only two active players to achieve the feat. 
• Rylee Spindler ranks second in the MVC in batting average at .450. 
• Emily Konz ranks third in the MVC in stolen bases with 19. 
• The Bruins were picked first in the 2026 MVC Preseason Poll and have appeared in D1 Softball's Mid-Major Top 25 for eight consecutive weeks, now rising to No. 1. 
• Johnson and Hughes were named Preseason First Team All-MVC selections, while Spindler, Balsiger, and Blume earned honorable mention honors. 
• Belmont is coming off a historic 2025 campaign, finishing 41–16 overall and 20–7 in MVC play while capturing the MVC Tournament Championship for the first time in program history. 
• The Bruins are led by head coach Laura Matthews, now in her sixth season at the helm. 

Against the Field 

• Belmont holds a 7–4 all-time record against Valparaiso. The Bruins won the most recent matchup, 2–1, in April 2025 at home. 
• Valparaiso enters the weekend 15–20 overall and 4–9 in MVC play. 

Follow Belmont Softball on social media — @BelmontSoftball on Twitter, @belmontsoftball on Instagram, and Belmont Bruins Softball on Facebook — for complete coverage. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official Belmont Bruins app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.