OXFORD, Ala. – The eighth-seeded Trevecca Nazarene University softball team (20-18) opened the 2026 Gulf South Conference Championships with one of the tournament's biggest upsets on Thursday afternoon at Choccolocco Park, knocking off top-seeded and No. 14 nationally ranked University of West Florida (40-11), 6-4.
Trevecca entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed after finishing 15-18 in Gulf South Conference play, while West Florida claimed the regular season conference title with a 27-6 league record. The Trojans used three home runs and a complete-game effort from
Bailey Goad to advance in the opening round of the conference tournament.
SERIES HISTORY/NOTES
Trevecca improved to 3-4 all-time against West Florida with the victory, dating back to the program's first meeting just last year. The Argonauts won 2-of-3 against the Trojans during the regular season series in Nashville earlier this year, but Trevecca evened out the season series at two apiece with the tournament upset. Thursday marked the first postseason meeting between the two programs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Trevecca came out aggressively against the top-seeded Argonauts in the opening inning. After
Sarah Kinderdine reached on a hit-by-pitch with two outs,
Bailey Goad delivered a two-run homer to center field to give the Trojans an early lead.
Goad then settled in inside the circle, helping Trevecca keep the nationally ranked Argonauts off the board from the second through the sixth inning. The freshman worked out of multiple jams during that stretch and finished with a complete-game performance, her 12th of the year.
The Trojans broke through again in the fifth inning when
Sarah Nicholson launched a solo home run to left field to tie the game. One batter later,
Annabelle Ellis gave Trevecca the lead with another solo shot to left.
Trevecca continued to pressure West Florida later in the inning.
Brianna Asmondy singled,
Abby Faires advanced into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt from
Kyleigh Burgett, and
Shay Hollingsworth followed with an RBI single to left-center to extend the lead to 5-3.
In the sixth inning,
Annalise Mecklenburg singled through the left side and later scored when Ellis ripped an RBI double into the left-center gap to give the Trojans another insurance run.
Trevecca closed out the upset victory behind Goad, who stranded runners in the final inning and secured the complete-game win as the Trojans advanced in the Gulf South Conference Championships.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Bailey Goad – 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, R
- Annabelle Ellis – 2-for-3, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, R
- Sarah Nicholson – 1-for-3, HR, RBI, R
- Shay Hollingsworth – 1-for-4, RBI
- Bailey Goad (W) – 7.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 5 SO
WP:
Bailey Goad (13-8) – 7.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 5 SO
LP: Haley Guffey (26-5) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 4 SO
NEXT ON THE DIAMOND
Trevecca will return to Choccolocco Park tonight to face the No. 5 seed Mississippi College Choctaws in the Thursday nightcap. Trevecca won the series against Mississippi College in the regular season, taking two of three in Nashville.
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