2026 Norfolk State Tournament
Feb. 13-15, 2026
Rider Broncs (0-0) at Norfolk State Tournament
Location: Norfolk, VA
Live Stats – NSUSpartans.com
Twitter – Twitter.com/SoftballRider

What You Need To Know
- The Broncs open the season with five games over three days at the Norfolk State Tournament, playing a pair of games against the host Spartans and three contests against Central Connecticut State.
- Rider was picked sixth in the preseason coaches poll with 2025 All-MAAC Second Team selection Kendall Reda-Fehsal (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury) being selected to the Preseason All-MAAC Team at infield. Fellow 2025 Second-Team All-MAAC honoree Abby Cruz (Corona, CA/Santiago) returns behind the plate and Aspen Wheeler (Lampasas, TX/Lampasas) returns after a MAAC All-Rookie Team campaign in 2025.
- Reda-Fehsal led the team in RBI's (41, 8^th-MAAC) and sacrifice flies (2) and was second in slugging (.512), doubles (14, 9^th-MAAC), home runs (7) and total bases (85) in 2025. She hit .289 and started 53 of 58 games played as the team's primary first baseman, finishing with 12 multi-hit games, including five games with three or more. She had a team-high 10 multi-RBI games, including three games with four or more and hit .380 with four home runs, 10 doubles, 31 RBI's, 10 runs scored and a .718 slugging percentage in MAAC play. 
- Cruz hit .294 with five homers and 29 RBIs in 2025, scoring 19 runs and striking out just six times in 163 at bats.
- Other returners for the Broncs include Fallyn Stoeckel (Nutley, NJ/Nutley), who hit .301 and scored a team-high 30 runs last season, while also tossing 39.2 innings and producing a 4-4 record with a 3.71 ERA in the circle, Maddie Luedtke (Gibbstown, NJ/Gloucester County Institute of Technology), who hit .325 and was 6-of-8 on stolen base attempts last season, Kiersten Buchanan (Holly Springs, NC/Holly Springs), who hit .218 last season, scoring 18 runs and was second on the team with six sacrifices, Shelby Dyer (Clarksboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional), who started 46 of the 54 games she saw action in and finished the year with 10 runs and 10 RBIs, Keegan St. Cyr (Hopkinton, NH/Hopkinton), who hit .246 and scored 13 runs last season, Emma Morgan (Mechanicsburg, PA/Cumberland Valley), who saw action in 19 games and made nine starts in 2025, and Noelle Flail (Woolwich Township, NJ/Kingsway Regional), who played in 24 contests and made 14 starts last season.
- The Broncs will lean on new arms in the circle after the graduations of Anna-Marie Groskritz and Kathryn Schmeirer, who pitched over 300 of the Broncs 380.1 innings in 2025. Along with Stoeckel, Gabi Rodriguez tossed 37.1 innings in 2025 and the duo will be joined by freshmen duo Madison Moran (Lafayette Hill, PA/Plymouth Whitemarsh) and Lily Ornelas (Hernando, FL/Trinity Catholic) in pitching duties this season.
- New names in the field include Melissa Purcella (Albuquerque, NM/Albuquerque Academy), Sydney Savatt (Pittsburgh, PA/Avonworth), and Abby Van Volkenburgh (Prosper, TX/John Paul II).
- All three teams at the tournament are making their season debuts. The Spartans went 22-23 overall and 14-7 in MEAC play last season. The Broncs are 6-4 all time against Norfolk State, including two wins over the Spartans in 2022. The Broncs lead the all-time series 8-5 over the Blue Devils after splitting a double-header last season.