BEREA, Ohio – After securing the first Ohio Athletic Conference regular-season championship in program history, the Baldwin Wallace University softball team now has its sights set on repeating as conference champions and returning to the NCAA Division III National Tournament in 2026.
Head Coach
Tom Spencer, who is in his 22nd season, and the rest of the 2025 OAC Coaching Staff of the Year welcome back two All-OAC selections, including the OAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year, and five Academic All-OAC honorees.
In the circle, senior right-handed
Katie Barnhart (North Ridgeville) and sophomore righty
Breckyn Daniel (Berea/Berea-Midpark) will anchor the staff. Barnhart appeared in 10 games and had a record of 9-1 with four complete games and one complete game shutout. She struck out 29 batters in 67.0 innings pitched. Daniel made two appearances last season and struck out two batters in 4.2 innings pitched.
Behind the plate, BW will look to senior
Avery Curran (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada/Resurrection Catholic) and junior Academic All-OAC
Mia Strizak (Middleburg Heights/Berea-Midpark take over the catching duties.
Curran missed last season with an injury and has appeared in just 10 games after transferring in her sophomore season.
Strizak has appeared in 20 games and has eight putouts and five assists.
The infield returns senior Academic All-OAC second baseman
Sabrina Burke (London) and junior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC third baseman
Mia Maddamma (North Royalton). In her first season as the starter,
Burke appeared in all 38 games and batted a career-best .238. She recorded career-highs in putouts (54) and assists (44).
Maddamma has started 71 career games at the hot corner and has a career batting average of .298 (54-of-181). She has 55 putouts and 71 assists. Senior Academic All-OAC infielder/designated player
Sam Smearman (Middleburg Heights/Berea-Midpark), junior infielder
Lexie Vaillant (Bowling Green/Perrysburg) and sophomore infielder/outfielder
Emily Dunlap (Strongsville) provide added depth and will look play more of a role in the infield.
The outfield will be patrolled by senior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC right fielder
Steph Mraz (Strongsville) and junior All-OAC left fielder
Sam Peterkoski (Berea/Berea-Midpark).
Mraz has appeared in 100 career games with 96 starts. She has a career batting average of .341 (103-of-302) with 19 stolen bases, 13 doubles, five triples, two home runs and 42 runs batted-in (RBIs).
Mraz has 164 career putouts with seven assists. In her lone season in Berea,
Peterkoski, who was the 2025 OAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year, led the OAC and was eighth in NCAA Division III with a .515 batting average (69-of-134). She tied the school record for hits in a season with 69, which led the OAC and ranked tied for 11th in NCAA Division III.
Peterkoski had 73 putouts and two assists. Junior outfielder
Shannon Wyatt (Westerville/Central) and sophomore outfielder
Katie Galmarini (Lake Charles, La. Alfred M. Barbe) will look to fill out the outfield.
BW opens the 2026 season on Monday, March 9, with a pair of non-conference games against Lakeland (Wis.) University and Nebraska Wesleyan University on the opening day of the Space Coast Games in Melbourne, Florida.
The Yellow Jackets will open OAC action and the home portion of their schedule on Saturday, March 21 when they welcome Wilmington College to the BW Softball Field at the Roehm Athletic Complex at 1 p.m.
