Softball Opens MVC Tournament Play Thursday as No. 1 Seed

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont University Softball team (37–11, 21–5 MVC) enters the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed following its first regular-season title in program history. 

The Bruins earned a first-round bye and will face Illinois State, Thursday, May 7 at 1 p.m. CT at Charlotte West Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois to open tournament play.  

Belmont looks to secure its second consecutive MVC Tournament championship after capturing the program's first title in 2025. 

All games will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available on belmontbruins.com. 

What's Bruin 

• The Bruins enter the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed following its first regular-season title in program history.  
• The team has not lost a conference series all season and recorded four MVC series sweeps.  
• Belmont enters the postseason ranked No. 1 in both the D1 Softball and Softball America Mid-Major Polls for five consecutive weeks.  
• The Bruins have also received votes in the D1 Softball and NFCA Top 25 for five straight weeks and have appeared in mid-major polls for 13 consecutive weeks.  
• Defensively, Belmont leads the MVC with a .975 fielding percentage and 954 putouts.  
• At the plate, the Bruins are hitting .297 with 232 RBI and a .382 on-base percentage.  
• In the circle, Belmont has recorded 16 shutouts this season — tied for fifth nationally — including 12 by Maya Johnson, which ranks second in the NCAA.  
• The Bruins' success is reflected in eight All-MVC honors and three major conference awards.  
• Maya Johnson was named MVC Pitcher of the Year  
• Johnson enters the tournament with a 25–2 record, 0.72 ERA, and 344 strikeouts with just 19 earned runs allowed.   
• She leads the NCAA in ERA (0.72), Strikeouts (344), Strikeouts per seven innings (13.1), and Strikeout-to-walk ratio (11.47)   
• Rylee Spindler earned MVC Defensive Player of the Year.  
• She ranks second in the MVC with a batting average of .446. 
• Six members of the Belmont University softball team were named to the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Team. 
• Maya Johnson was named the league's Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season. 
• 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.  
• Belmont's staff of Laura Matthews, Emlyn Knerem, Erin Kuba, and Faith Canfield was also selected as MVC Coaching Staff of the Year. 

Tournament History & Notes 

• In 2025 The Bruins won their first MVC Championship and conference title in program history. 
• No. 2 Belmont topped no. 7 Bradley 8-3 in the quarterfinals before claiming a 7-5 win over no. 3 Northern Iowa in the semifinals. 
• The Bruins faced no. 1 and back-to-back MVC Champions, Southern Illinois in the championship game. Belmont took a 6-2 win over the Salukis to claim the 2025 title. 

Against the Field 
No. 5 Illinois State

• Belmont holds a 5–3 all-time record against Illinois State and won the most recent series in April 2026 (2–1).  
• Most Recent Series Result:
  • Game 1: L, 1-2 
  • Game 2: W, 3–2 (9 innings): Emily Konz sparked the offense with a leadoff single before Maddy Balsiger scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch.  
  • Game 3: W, 5–4 (8 innings): Rylee Spindler delivered the game-winning RBI single, scoring Ella Bertucci. Maya Johnson earned the win, striking out 10 over eight innings. 

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