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In the last five years, Syracuse softball always seemed to be on the cusp of success. It hasn’t had a losing season since 2023 but is still chasing its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2012.

The Orange’s 2022 and 2023 seasons both ended in Atlantic Coast Conference Quarterfinal exits. Their 2024 campaign — which featured the most wins under Shannon Doepking (28) — concluded in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

Last year initially seemed to be different; Syracuse began Doepking’s seventh campaign 11-0, the best start in program history. The Orange entered ACC play 16-3 but lost 19 of their next 30 contests, missing the ACC Tournament for the first time since 2015.

Here’s everything to know as Doepking and Co. embark on their eighth campaign:

Tough early schedule

SU’s ACC collapse last season wasn’t without precedent. It followed the same win pattern as nearly every other Doepking-led team: early-season success before stumbling in the ACC.

Since 2019, the Orange have gone 105-52 in nonconference play. Their record flips in conference play, where SU is 51-100.

Last season, SU faced only one ranked team, then-No. 9 Georgia, before ACC games began. During Doepking’s tenure, back-loaded schedules have been the primary reason SU consistently succeeds early yet fails in ACC play.

Syracuse won’t have that privilege this season. It’ll be tested from the outset. Eight games on the Orange’s pre-ACC slate are against teams that made the NCAA Tournament last year, including five against preseason top-25 teams: No. 23 Liberty, No. 14 South Carolina and reigning national champions, No. 1 Texas.

If the Orange keep up with the stiff competition, they’ll be more than ready for ACC play. If they don’t, their season could be over before it truly starts.

Ilyan Sarech | Design Editor

Newcomers to watch

Six seniors graduated over the offseason. Tessa Galipeau, Laila Morales-Alves, Kelly Breen and Taylor Posner were all regulars at the plate, accounting for 512 of SU’s total 1,311 at-bats. Angie Ramos is SU’s only major defensive loss. Ramos started all but one of her 47 appearances and regularly slotted in at second base and outfield.

With them gone, Doepking brought in six freshmen and one transfer.

Kendall Gaunt tops the bill. The Smithfield, North Carolina, native is expected to fill in at shortstop, and she showed promise in the box throughout high school. In her senior season at Cleveland High School, Gaunt hit .507 with 25 RBIs across 73 at-bats.

The freshman was also the only member of Syracuse’s 2025 class named to D1Softball’s 2026 D100 Freshman Watch List.

Madison Knight’s younger sister, Mackenzie Knight, joins the crew as well. While Knight stars as a two-way player, Mackenzie’s a threat on the basepath as a slap-hitting specialist. She is quick and hits for consistency, not power.

Milija Seaton — the lone transfer addition — could be a wildcard in her junior season. She’s consistent on defense, posting a .923 fielding percentage across her freshman and sophomore years at Wichita State.

Offense is a slightly different story — Seaton had 14 hits, nine RBIs and one home run across 70 at-bats with the Shockers. Her .200 average last year ranked 12th among 16 Shockers, and her .350 slugging percentage placed 10th. However, the Tonganoxie, Kansas, native homered in SU’s fall game against Herkimer Community College, a potential sign of what’s to come.

Slugging development

Doepking’s teams have historically struggled offensively, and 2025 was no different. Extra-base hits were rare for Syracuse last season, as the Orange notched the fewest home runs and triples in the ACC.

Their isolated power number — which measures a hitter’s ability to log extra-base hits by subtracting batting average from slugging percentage — of 0.093 placed among the bottom 19% of Division I teams.

Though Galipeau is gone, SU returns four of its best hitters from last year. Madelyn Lopez, Kaimi Tulua, Vanessa Flores and Knight all had slugging percentages of .400 or above.

Tulua’s freshman year on-base-plus-slugging percentage of .836 placed in the 72nd percentile of D-I hitters. With another year under her belt, the sophomore should be a force at the plate.

Three of SU’s four returning sluggers are in their senior seasons. Lopez headlines the group, with her 2025 .430 batting average placing fifth in the ACC, along with 10 doubles and three home runs. Her OPS, wOBA, wRC and wRAA — which quantify a player’s offensive production, offensive value, run-producing value and runs created — put her above the 91st percentile among D-I players.

Pitching additions

Last season, Knight and Julianna Verni entered ACC play with ERAs of 1.28 and 0.61, respectively. Knight finished the season with a 3.45 ERA, and Verni with 3.78.

The cause of this disparity?

A lack of depth in the bullpen. Knight and Verni opened 39 of 49 games last season, and their 250 total innings pitched accounted for 77% of the Orange’s defensive frames. In the ACC, the two started every game. Knight and Verni’s overworked arms led to a 6.16 overall ERA in conference play.

With Jackie Pengel two years removed from a season-ending injury, which limited her in 2025, the Orange should have a better look on the hill. Pengel posted a team-low 2.07 ERA in 20.1 innings pitched and even struck out five in a shutout against UAlbany. It was her last outing in 2025.

Doepking added freshman Kennedy Woodruff to the bullpen this year. She shone at Oxon Hill High School (Maryland), with a career 0.43 ERA and 351 career strikeouts.

If the Orange get their pitching right, the mound could define their season.

Published on February 4, 2026 at 11:37 pm
Contact Peter: peterhradosh@gmail.com