GROVE CITY, Pa. – With six returning starters and several other key contributors back for the 2026 season, the Grove City College softball program aims to continue its climb in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.
In 2025, Grove City won the conference's regular season title and, for the first time, hosted the conference tournament. The Wolverines won a program-record 26 games and entrenched themselves among the conference's elite.
Those experiences will help propel Grove City in 2026.
Head coach
Kristen Cramer, the conference's Coach of the Year in 2025, welcomes back three All-Conference selections from last season.
Junior
Evelyn Montone (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) returns in left field after her record-setting 2025 season. A two-time First Team All-PAC honoree, Montone set single-season program records with 44 runs batted in and 91 total bases.
Montone, who enters her third year in the starting lineup, hit .399 last year, while lacing 59 hits. She owns a .395 career batting average and will likely be at or near the top of the batting order again this spring.
To her left, senior center fielder
Noel Anthony (Clarion, Pa./Clarion) returns for her fourth season as Grove City's starter. Anthony hit .381 and stole a dozen bases last year as she earned a spot on the conference's Second Team. Anthony drove in a career-best 29 runs last year and could join Montone at the top of the lineup.
In the center of the diamond, junior pitcher
Abigail Meadors (Warren, Ohio/Champion) capped each of her first two seasons at Grove City by earning All-PAC recognition. Last year, the 6-foot-2 right-hander won 12 games and struck out 124 batters in 133 2/3 innings. Meadors added a pair of saves and also hit .319.
She is a candidate to start at first base or designated player when not in the circle.
Grove City also returns junior
Alexis Jackson (Coventry Township, Ohio/Coventry) at first base and in the pitcher's circle. Jackson has hit .315 over her first two seasons, including a .364 mark as a rookie in 2024. The right-hander also owns a 7-4 record in 27 career pitching appearances.
Like Meadors, Jackson could also see time in the DP position this year.
Senior catcher
Kristin Tesch (Clinton Township, Mich./Chippewa Valley) emerged in 2025 after seeing part-time duty in her first two seasons. Tesch hit .296 with two home runs and 12 runs batted in last year, her first as a starter.
Tesch is again expected to see ample action behind the plate.
She is also a candidate for the DP spot when not catching.
Cramer also expects sophomore
Sydney Shay (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg) to see time at catcher this spring. Shay hit .273 in her 19 starts last year after becoming a part-time starter at third base.
Shay is also a candidate to start again at third base when not catching.
Junior middle infielder
Abby Stouffer (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) will compete to fill one of the starting vacancies at second base and shortstop. Stouffer has played in 51 career games during her first two seasons at the College. Stouffer made 12 starts in 2024 before starting five games in the infield last year.
Sophomore outfielders
Sydney McBride (Gainesville, Va./Battlefield) and
Elena Tylka (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) are among the leading contenders to take over in right field. McBride played in 14 games as a freshman while Tylka saw time in a dozen games during her rookie season.
Sophomore pitcher
Ellie Day (New Marshfield, Ohio/Alexander) made two appearances in 2025 and will push for an expanded role on the pitching staff this spring. Day will also challenge for time in the infield.
Sophomore pitcher
Alivia Lantzy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Avonworth) will also look to bolster the pitching staff after transferring to Grove City prior to the fall semester. Several other newcomers are also in contention for the lineup this spring, according to Cramer.
Grove City opens the season March 2-7 with an eight-game trip to Little River, S.C., over Spring Break. Conference play begins March 21 at Thiel. The home schedule begins Tuesday, March 24 against Pitt-Bradford.
