FLORENCE, Ala. (May 2, 2026) – The University of North Alabama softball team put on another dominant display to close the 2026 regular season on Saturday, completing a three-game sweep of Bellarmine with a 9-0 shutout on Senior Day in Florence.
UNA closes the regular season with a 35-14 overall record and a 17-7 record in conference play. The Lions finished second place in the Atlantic Sun Conference Gold Division standings and will officially find out their seed for the ASUN Championship tournament Sunday morning. The tournament will run from May 5-9 in Jacksonville, Fla.
On Saturday, UNA shut out Bellarmine for a third straight game. The Lions completed the three-game sweep with a combined score of 22-0. Two of the three sweeps ended in five innings via mercy rule. The Lions have won nine games via mercy rule and nine games via shutout this season.
Today's shutout came courtesy of seniors Rylee Tittle and Emily Simon. Tittle took the first three innings and allowed just two hits, while Simon closed the game with only one hit allowed over two innings.
Neither pitcher gave up a walk, as the Lions did not walk anyone all weekend. Fellow seniors Alivia Wilken and Katie Simon completed their own individual shutouts without a walk on Friday. Bellarmine had just eight hits over three games against the quartet.
The UNA offense totaled 10 hits on the day, including a 3-for-3 day for junior infielder Bayleigh Rouse. She had a single, a double and a home run that soared high and over the left center wall. Rouse drove in four runs and scored twice in the win.
Senior Laura Leigh Wheeler completed her final game at Hilda B. Anderson Softball Stadium with two hits and two RBI, while sophomore Jenna Madison went 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI.
Sophomore Holly Merritt got the scoring started in the first inning with a sacrifice fly to bring home senior Gyvan Hammons. Prior to this, Hammons singled on base and stole second and third. With those two stolen bases, Hammons tied the Division I school record for stolen bases with 18. The record was last set in 2022 by Lexi Harper.
Speaking of stolen bases, junior Briley Dover walked on in the first inning and executed a double steal with Hammons. Dover has 17 stolen bases this season and is one away from tying the record with Hammons and Harper. Dover went on to score after a double by Rouse to make it 2-0.
The Lions scored one more in the first frame with a single by Madison to bring home Rouse. Rouse rounded third and had a close play at the plate, but she slid in safely for the three-run inning.
Rouse came up for her second at-bat in the third, skying a homer to score herself and Wheeler and make it a 5-0 game. Prior to the homer, Wheeler singled her way on and stole second. Later in the inning, senior Jorja Roberson made the most of her start in left field and ripped one down the right field line to bring home Madison with an RBI triple.
The Lions got all the runs they needed in the fourth for an early dispatch, using a two-RBI single from Wheeler and an RBI single from Rouse to bring home three more runs. Simon closed out the fifth with a lineout, strikeout and pop-out. The lineout was a highlight reel catch by Hammons in centerfield, as she continues to make her case for a Gold Glove and an ASUN Defensive Player of the Year award.
UNA closes the regular season with an 18-2 record at home — the only losses coming to Ole Miss and Central Arkansas despite a series win over the Bears.
Prior to the game, UNA honored nine seniors with a special ceremony — Katie Davis, Katie Simon, Natalie Shaw, Emily Simon, Jorja Roberson, Rylee Tittle, Laura Leigh Wheeler, Alivia Wilken and Gyvan Hammons.
Pitchers of Record
W – Rylee Tittle (5-2)
L – Lele Bennett (7-17)
S – None
COMING UP NEXT
On Sunday, the ASUN will announce seedings for the 2026 ASUN Championship in Jacksonville, Fla. The Lions are automatically one of the top four seeds and will receive an automatic bye to the double-elimination bracket. The bracket will be announced on ASUNSports.org and RoarLions.com.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
