Softball 6/12/2026 9:37:00 PM

Bronchos Finish 11th in Final Softball Poll

UCO Went 46-16 in Making the Central Super Regional

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Central Oklahoma finished at No. 11 in the final Division II rankings released by the National Softball Coaches Association.

The Bronchos enjoyed a fantastic season in 2026 under first-year head coach Sam Maples, going 46-16 – tied for the seventh-most wins in school history – while advancing to the Central Super Regional.

UCO was runner-up in the MIAA regular season standings and then captured the Central Regional II championship in Pittsburg, Kansas before falling to league champion Missouri Southern in the best-of-three Central Super Regional.

National champion Saint Leo topped the last poll, with runner-up McKendree – a team the Bronchos beat 7-3 early this season – at No. 2. Cal State-San Marcos, West Texas A&M and MSSU rounded out the top five.

"This last year was such a blast and we saw a ton of growth from our young players," said Maples, who is now 216-133 in seven years as head coach with three straight 40-win seasons. "Getting experience at a Super Regional with three returning pitchers will prove very valuable as well."

Central loses a host of starters from this year's squad, but Maples is confident the Bronchos are finding the pieces needed to retain their position among the Division II elite.

"We've added more depth in the circle as well as depth at just about every position," she said. "Our goal this upcoming year is to create competition and cross train our athletes at multiple spots. That helps us not only build depth but also creates opportunities for players to compete.

"I'm so excited about our athleticism and it's going to be another great year!"

UCO ended up in the top 20 in 14 team categories in the final NCAA statistical rankings, including 11 in the top 10. The Bronchos were third in doubles (school-record 127), third in slugging percentage (.572), fourth in doubles per game (2.06), fifth in home runs (68), fifth in runs batted in per game (6.58), sixth in RBI (school-record 408), seventh in runs (school-record 437), seventh in runs per game (7.05), seventh in batting average (.347), eighth in hits (574), eighth in on base percentage (.430), 11th in walks (217), 13th in homers per game (1.10) and 19th in triples (20).

Rylee Lemos, Haley Gallo, Jenna Jobe, Kennedy Clark, Shelby Beard, Carleigh Kinnaird and Rylee Anglen all ended up making their mark on the UCO record book, with Lemos leading the way.

Lemos' 72 RBI ranks fourth on the school's single-season list while she also came in tied for fourth in triples (seven), fifth in both runs (67) and hits (80) and eighth in both doubles (19) and homers (15). Nationally, Lemos was ninth in RBI, ninth in total bases (158), 10th in runs and 12th in triples.

The two-time All-American finished her sensational four-year career with the Bronchos as the all-time leader in runs (256) and triples (24). Lemos also ranks second in at bats (795), second in games played (245), second in stolen bases (79), second in hit by pitch (39), third in hits (298), third in doubles (61), seventh in homers (35), seventh in RBI (173) and ninth in average (.375).

Gallo put together an one of the best rookie campaigns in UCO history, setting freshman school records for doubles (23, third-best in school history), homers (16, sixth-best) and RBI (68, seventh-best). She ranked seventh nationally in doubles and 14th in RBI.

Jobe belted 21 doubles, fifth on the school's single-season list and ninth in Division II. The sophomore catcher also tied for fifth in fewest errors with just one in 237 chances.

Clark drove in 64 runs in her final UCO season, which is ninth on the single-season list and ranked 20th nationally.

Beard and Kinnaird led the pitching staff this season, combining for 41 of the team's 46 wins.

Beard ranked in the top 20 in three national categories – 12th in games started (33), 17th in appearances (40) and 19th in wins (23). The junior's 23 wins are tied for eighth on UCO's single-season list and she's now fifth in career winning percentage at .788 with a 41-11 record.

Kinnaird ended up 18th in Division II with four saves, which ranks tied for seventh on the UCO charts. The hard-throwing rookie also struck out 157 batters, the eighth-best single-season total in school history.

Rylee Anglen finished her brilliant fielding career ninth on the school's career assists list with 354. She had 100-plus assists each of the last three seasons and was named to the MIAA and NFCA Gold Glove teams this year.

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Players Mentioned

#9 Rylee Anglen: IF; 5' 3"; Senior; L/R

#11 Shelby Beard: P; 5' 9"; Junior; R/R

#14 Kennedy Clark: C/1B; 5' 7"; Senior; L/L

#8 Rylee Lemos: OF; 5' 6"; Senior; L/R

#22 Haley Gallo: OF; 5' 7"; Freshman; R/R

#28 Carleigh Kinnaird: P; 5' 8"; Freshman; R/R

#1 Jenna Jobe: C/IF; 5' 6"; Sophomore; L/R

Players Mentioned

#9 Rylee Anglen
: 5' 3"; Senior; L/R
: IF

#11 Shelby Beard
: 5' 9"; Junior; R/R
: P

#14 Kennedy Clark
: 5' 7"; Senior; L/L
: C/1B

#8 Rylee Lemos
: 5' 6"; Senior; L/R
: OF

#22 Haley Gallo
: 5' 7"; Freshman; R/R
: OF

#28 Carleigh Kinnaird
: 5' 8"; Freshman; R/R
: P

#1 Jenna Jobe
: 5' 6"; Sophomore; L/R
: C/IF