Making their second straight appearance at the tournament, the Northern Illinois University Huskies softball team will compete at the 2026 MAC Tournament, May 6-9 in Akron, Ohio. All games will be played at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio.

The Huskies number two seed at the tournament is their highest since 2000 as they recorded the most wins in conference play since that same season. Prior to the 2026 tournament bracket, NIU’s highest seed has been a 3-seed, earning that spot in 2011 and 2017.

With the No. 2 seed, the Huskies get a first round bye and will play the winner of No. 3 Miami and No. 6 Western Michigan on Thursday, May 7. First pitch is set for 1:30 p.m. CT. NIU went 2-1 against Western Michigan this season. NIU and Miami have not met during the 2026 season.

Tournament central which has access to tickets, schedules, live stats, and more can be found here.

“It was a great weekend (last weekend) celebrating the 2026 senior class. We are excited to get to the MAC Tournament and continue to take one step at a time toward our goal,” said NIU head coach Kathryn Gleason.

Taking a Look at the Numbers

Senior Danielle Stewart (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) leads the Huskies at the plate, hitting .449 with 57 hits this season. Stewart has the third-best single season batting average in NIU school history, behind Jill Justin in 1987 and 1988. Stewart has been in the top-30 in the natin for batting average this season.

Stewart has 15 doubles to lead the Huskies this season and is tied with Kayla Estrada (Riverside, Calif./Martin Luther King) with seven home runs for the Huskies. Estrada leads the team with 44 RBIs this season. Katy Ramage (Germantown Hills, Ill./Metamora Township) leads NIU with four doubles this season while Jenna Turner (Marengo, Ill./Marengo) leads the team with 35 runs scored.

In the circle, Madison Carlson (South Beloit, Ill./South Beloit) leads the Huskies with 2.66 ERA. Carlson, who is 11-1 in the circle, has 23 appearances, seven complete games, one shutout, 69 strikeouts, and 100 innings pitched.

Writing History

The Huskies have already been writing history this season. On April 11, the Huskies hit two grand slams in the second inning of the doubleheader against Kent State, marking only the 17th occurrence since 2000 in NCAA Division I history.

The Huskies record book hasn’t been safe either. Junior shortstop Alana Powell (Chicago, Ill./Kenwood Academy) tied the NIU record for most doubles in a single game with three on May 2, 2026. This comes just two weeks after NIU broke the school record for most runs in a single game on April 14.

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