SEASON PREVIEW: Softball prepared for start of 2026 season under new head coach Erin Benschoter
(Rochester Hills, MI) - The Rochester Christian softball team will kick off its 2026 season this upcoming weekend at the NAIA Leadoff Tournament at the Rosemont Dome in Rosemont, Illinois.
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(Rochester Hills, MI) - The Rochester Christian softball team will kick off its 2026 season this upcoming weekend at the NAIA Leadoff Tournament at the Rosemont Dome in Rosemont, Illinois. The Warriors are under new leadership this season, with Erin Benschoter taking over as the new Head Coach last June.
2026 SCHEDULE OUTLOOK
The NAIA Leadoff Tournament will feature the Warriors playing in six games as they will go up against Judson, St. Francis (IL), Trinity Christian, IU-South Bend (2x), and Olivet Nazarene.
The Warriors will then be off until March 9, when they return to play down in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for a 10-game slate. The Warriors will take on Spartanburg Methodist, Penn State-Scranton, Pikeville, Penn State-Mont Alto, Penn State-Beaver, Cairn, Penn State-Hazelton, Penn State-Schuylkill, Brevard, and FDU-Florham over the six days of Spring Break.
Returning north, the Warriors will play eight straight home games, including Grace Christian (3/17), Indiana Tech (3/21), Northwestern Ohio (3/22), and Lawrence Tech (3/25). March will close out with the team heading to Lourdes (3/28) and Defiance (3/29).
10 of the Warriors' first 12 games in April will be on the road as they travel to Cornerstone (4/1), Oakland (4/7), #14 Madonna (4/8), and Cleary (4/12), while hosting Michigan-Dearborn (4/4). The final four games will be a doubleheader against Aquinas (4/15) and Detroit Mercy (4/16).
ROCHESTER CHRISTIAN PERSONNEL
The Warriors are led by first-year head coach Erin Benschoter, with assistants Zach Benschoter, Scott Culver, and Jeff Damore aiding the team this season.
The Warriors have 16 student-athletes on the roster this year, with a breakdown of five seniors, five juniors, three sophomores, and three freshmen.
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SENIORS |
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JUNIORS |
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SOPHOMORES |
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FRESHMAN |
2025 TEAM STATISTICS
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RECORD |
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OVERALL |
1-30 |
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CONFERENCE |
0-24 |
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STATISTICS - HITTING |
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GAMES |
31 |
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BATTING AVERAGE |
0.196 |
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HITS |
134 |
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RUNS |
51 |
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EXTRA BASE HITS |
35 |
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STATISTICS - PITCHING |
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EARNED RUN AVERAGE |
8.58 |
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HITS ALLOWED |
339 |
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EARNED RUNS ALLOWED |
210 |
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STRIKEOUTS |
81 |
2026 WHAC PRESEASON POLL
The Warriors were voted 11th in the WHAC preseason poll with 19 points.
The top five of the poll were Madonna with 121 points and all 11 first-place votes, Indiana Tech with 105 points, Northwestern Ohio with 100 points, Cornerstone with 83 points, and Cleary with 67 points.
The remainder of the poll would see Lawrence Tech in sixth with 58 points, followed by Aquinas with 56 points, Michigan-Dearborn with 53 points, Lourdes with 34 points, and Defiance with 30 points.