Dillard heads to 2026 NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round

NEW ORLEANS - The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) 2026 regular season and postseason champion Dillard University is set for the 2026 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Softball National Championship Opening Round on Monday through Thursday.

This is the Lady Bleu Devils' first appearance in the NAIA Softball National Championship. They earned the No. 4 seed in the Lakeland, Fla. regional where they will face the host Southeastern University (Fla.) at 10 a.m. central time on Monday. 

After a dominant regular season, Dillard equaled that performance in the 2026 HBCUAC Softball Championship. Its only loss was a 4-3 walk-off loss in Game 2 of the best-of-three championship series against Stillman College. In the six games, the Lady Bleu Devils only allowed three or more runs in three games with two of them coming in the championship series. 

They had numerous All-HBCUAC selections, including 2026 Pitcher of the Year Mary-Elizabeth Landry, Defensive Player and Newcomer of the Year Jessica Battiste and Utility Player of the Year Sa'Vya Sutherland. Dillard won 27 games in its first season under head coach Jose Taitague. 

The regional winners will advance to the 2026 NAIA Softball World Series May 21-27 at South Commons Complex in Columbus, Georgia.

LAKELAND REGIONAL SCHEDULE

About the HBCU Athletic Conference

The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Huston-Tillotson University (TX), Oakwood University (AL), Paul Quinn College (TX), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.