The University of Akron Athletics
Nicholson Named 2026 MAC Softball Coach of the Year
May 06 | Softball
AKRON, Ohio —Akron softball head coach Craig Nicholson has been named the 2026 MAC Softball Coach of the Year, the league office announced Wednesday.
Nicholson, in his fourth year leading the Zips program, guided Akron to the MAC regular season championship with a 21-6 conference record and 31-23 mark overall — second time in program history and first since 1998.
Nicholson took a team picked fourth in the preseason MAC Coaches' Poll and turned it into the conference's dominant force in MAC play with the 21-6 record against MAC opponents. The Zips went 10-2 at home and 11-4 on the road in conference play, winning series against Ball State, Miami, Western Michigan, Toledo, Kent State, Buffalo, UMass, and Ohio.
Under Nicholson's direction, the 2026 Zips shattered program records in three major offensive categories, setting single-season records in home runs (53), RBI (291), and walks (194). The team batted .298 overall and .327 in MAC play, slugging .543 as a conference unit while posting a .427 on-base percentage in league games. Akron's offense scored 197 runs in 27 MAC contests — more than seven runs per conference game — while the pitching staff held opponents to a 4.15 ERA and .306 batting average in league play.
Nicholson and his staff developed a potent lineup from top to bottom that produced 35 home runs and 188 RBI in MAC play alone., featuring six All-MAC performers, including first-team performers Meagan Lee (.379, 30 R, 12 RBI in MAC play), Sophia Wygast (.402, 6 HR, 34 RBI in MAC play) and Katie Cantrell (.346, 8 HR, 21 RBI in MAC play) as well as second-team performers Haley Glass (.360, 6 HR, .693 SLG in conference play) and Lily Sullivan (.368, 3 HR, 24 RBI in MAC play) alon with All-Freshman team member Kenzie Gatti (.279, 4 HR, 18 RBI). He also managed a pitching staff anchored by All-MAC Second Team member Madie Jamrog (12-2 with a 3.44 ERA in 103.2 conference innings) and Macy Walters (9-3 with a 4.97 ERA in 69.0 conference innings).
Nicholson has posted back-to-back 30-win seasons at Akron and a pair of MAC Tournament berths as the 2026 season stands as the program's signature achievement to date. The Zips enter the MAC Tournament as the top seed looks to capture the conference's automatic NCAA Tournament bid for the first time since 1985.
Nicholson, in his fourth year leading the Zips program, guided Akron to the MAC regular season championship with a 21-6 conference record and 31-23 mark overall — second time in program history and first since 1998.
Nicholson took a team picked fourth in the preseason MAC Coaches' Poll and turned it into the conference's dominant force in MAC play with the 21-6 record against MAC opponents. The Zips went 10-2 at home and 11-4 on the road in conference play, winning series against Ball State, Miami, Western Michigan, Toledo, Kent State, Buffalo, UMass, and Ohio.
Under Nicholson's direction, the 2026 Zips shattered program records in three major offensive categories, setting single-season records in home runs (53), RBI (291), and walks (194). The team batted .298 overall and .327 in MAC play, slugging .543 as a conference unit while posting a .427 on-base percentage in league games. Akron's offense scored 197 runs in 27 MAC contests — more than seven runs per conference game — while the pitching staff held opponents to a 4.15 ERA and .306 batting average in league play.
Nicholson and his staff developed a potent lineup from top to bottom that produced 35 home runs and 188 RBI in MAC play alone., featuring six All-MAC performers, including first-team performers Meagan Lee (.379, 30 R, 12 RBI in MAC play), Sophia Wygast (.402, 6 HR, 34 RBI in MAC play) and Katie Cantrell (.346, 8 HR, 21 RBI in MAC play) as well as second-team performers Haley Glass (.360, 6 HR, .693 SLG in conference play) and Lily Sullivan (.368, 3 HR, 24 RBI in MAC play) alon with All-Freshman team member Kenzie Gatti (.279, 4 HR, 18 RBI). He also managed a pitching staff anchored by All-MAC Second Team member Madie Jamrog (12-2 with a 3.44 ERA in 103.2 conference innings) and Macy Walters (9-3 with a 4.97 ERA in 69.0 conference innings).
Nicholson has posted back-to-back 30-win seasons at Akron and a pair of MAC Tournament berths as the 2026 season stands as the program's signature achievement to date. The Zips enter the MAC Tournament as the top seed looks to capture the conference's automatic NCAA Tournament bid for the first time since 1985.
Players Mentioned
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