CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The No. 8 seed Western Washington University softball team opened play in the NCAA Division II Softball National Championship tournament falling to No. 1 seed and defending national champion UT Tyler in a back-and-forth 6-5 game at Frost Stadium at Warner Park.
The West Region champion Vikings dropped to 45-12 overall and 8-2 in the postseason with their fifth one-run defeat of the season. WWU drops to the other side of the bracket returning to play Saturday at 11 am ET/8 am PT in an elimination game vs. No. 4 seed North Georgia. UT Tyler improved to 58-5 on the season and will play Friday in the winner's bracket against No. 5 seed Saginaw Valley at 12 pm ET/9 am PT. All games during the World Series stream live and free at NCAA.com.
WWU fell behind early 3-0 on a three-run home run by UT Tyler first baseman Abbie Behe in the bottom of the 1st inning off starting pitcher Joie Baker. But the Vikings scored five unanswered runs to go up 5-3, and UT Tyler answered with the final three runs to take the World Series opener with a one-run victory.
After being held without a hit in the first two innings, the Vikings chipped into the three-run deficit with a pair of two-out runs in the top of the 3rd inning. Junior shortstop Hailey Rath opened the scoring with a bloop double down the right field line. After a pair of walks loaded the bases, junior first baseman Olivia Matlock singled to left field to pull the Vikings to within one run at 3-2.
Rath put the Vikings ahead 5-3 with one swing of the bat in the top of the 4th inning with a two-out, three-run home run deep over the left field fence – exactly one year to the day after hitting a three-run home run in the 2024 World Series over UIndy in Longwood, Florida to punch the Vikings ticket to the championship series.
The Patriots answered with a run in the bottom of the 4th inning to bring the game to one run at 5-4 and went ahead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the 5th inning. Bailey Krolczyk tied the game with a double to left-center field that just eluded Viking center fielder Laila Carpenter. Western initially cut down the go-ahead run at home plate on a grounder to second baseman Kanilehua Pitoy with catcher Paris Dellamaggiore tagging the runner out, but after a video replay review, the call was overturned with UT Tyler scoring the eventual game-winning run.
WWU was held scoreless over the final two innings with relief pitcher Primrose Aholelei earning the win improving to 18-1 on the season. Aholelei allowed three runs (all on the Rath HR) on three hits.
Viking relief pitcher Kaiana Kong (13-1) was saddled with her first loss of the season allowing two runs on two hits in 2.2 innings. Baker allowed five hits, four runs and a pair of walks in 3.1 innings while recording a no-decision.
Rath went 2-for-4 with a double, home run and four RBI to lead the Vikings seven-hit attack. All-American third baseman Maleah Andrews went 1-for-4 with a run scored extending her school-record streak of reaching base safely to 54 consecutive games.
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UT Tyler 6, WWU 5 (May 22, 2025 at Frost Stadium at Warner Park)
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Score by Innings
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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R
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H
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E
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LOB
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Record
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Western Washington
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0
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0
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2
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3
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0
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0
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0
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-
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5
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7
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0
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6
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45-12
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UT Tyler
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3
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0
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0
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1
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2
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0
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x
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-
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6
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7
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0
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5
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58-5
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WWU – Baker, Kong (4) and Dellamaggiore
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UTT – Blanchard, Aholelei (3) and Barney
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Win: Aholelei (18-1) Save: None Loss: Kong (13-1)
WWU HR: Rath (6) UTT HR: Behe (3)
Time of Game: 2:16
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The Vikings (45-12) play on the other side of the World Series bracket with an off day Friday, returning to play Saturday against North Georgia on Saturday in the 11 am ET game (8 am PT). All games during the NCAA DII Softball National Championship tournament are being played at Warner Park in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The complete 2025 schedule can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/Team33 with links to season statistics, photo galleries and program history.
Gallery: (5-22-2025) SB | UT Tyler 6, WWU 5 (World Series)
Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2025 season:
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RECORD BREAKDOWN
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Overall
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45-12
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GNAC
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21-3
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Non-Conference
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24-9
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Postseason
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8-2
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Streak
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L1
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Home
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12-2
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Away
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25-5
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Neutral
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8-5
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vs. Ranked Teams
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3-1
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1-Run Games
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6-5
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2-Run Games
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2-1
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Extra Innings
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1-0
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Shutouts
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12-4
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BY UNIFORM
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Light Blue Pinstripes
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15-4
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Navy
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5-1
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Navy/White
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12-3
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Gray
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5-2
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White/Navy
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6-2
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Gray/Blue
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0-0
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Autism Awareness
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2-0
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All games during the 2025 NCAA Division II Softball National Championship will be streamed live and FREE online by visiting NCAA.com/liveschedule. Once visiting that link fans will be able to choose from all NCAA events that will stream that day…just find the Viking logo and click to watch the game live online. A direct link will also be available by bookmarking wwuvikings.com/SB_Watch.
WWU is making its seventh appearance in the NCAA Division II Softball Championships and second consecutive after the historic run to the NCAA II World Series in 2024. Entering the 2024 postseason with one NCAA Tournament victory, the Vikings went 10-5 during the run to the national championship series. Prior to moving to the NCAA level in 1999, WWU won the NAIA World Series in 1998 for the first team national championship in WWU Athletics history. Here is a look at the Vikings game-by-game listing in the NCAA Championships with the regional host site listed next to the year. The Vikings are 16-17 all-time in NCAA Tournament play:
2003 (Bakersfield, CA):
Lost to UC Davis, 4-2
Lost to Humboldt State, 7-1
2007 (Turlock, CA):
Lost to Stanislaus State, 2-0
Lost to Sonoma State, 3-1
2011 (Chico, CA):
Lost to Chico State, 3-1
Lost to Central Washington, 8-4
2017 (Seaside, CA):
Defeated Cal State Monterey Bay, 5-3
Lost to Dixie State, 5-0
Lost to Sonoma State, 6-4
2021 (Irvine, CA):
Lost to Hawai'i Hilo, 3-0
Lost to Central Washington, 9-5
2024 (Bellingham, WA):
Defeated Azusa Pacific, 1-0
Lost to Cal State San Marcos, 4-3
Defeated Azusa Pacific, 3-0
Defeated Cal State San Marcos, 7-1
Defeated Cal State San Marcos, 2-1
Defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills, 4-3 (Super Regional)
Lost to Cal State Dominguez Hills, 3-2 (Super Regional)
Defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills, 7-6 (West Region Champions) – 8 innings
Defeated Wilmington (DE), 2-1 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL
Lost to UT Tyler, 10-1 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL
Defeated Auburn Montgomery, 7-1 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL
Defeated UIndy, 2-1 (9 inn.) (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL
Defeated UIndy, 7-0 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL
Lost to UT Tyler, 3-0 (NCAA Championship Series) – Longwood, FL
Lost to UT Tyler, 10-1 (NCAA Championship Series) – Longwood, FL
2025 (Hayward, CA):
Defeated Concordia Irvine, 8-0
Defeated Cal State East Bay, 2-1
Defeated Cal State East Bay, 6-2
Lost to Cal State San Marcos, 9-1 (Super Regional)
Defeated Cal State San Marcos, 4-1 (Super Regional)
Defeated Cal State San Marcos, 3-2 (Super Regional)
Lost to UT Tyler, 6-5 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Chattanooga, TN
HOW TO FOLLOW THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Here are links on how to follow the 2025 NCAA Division II Softball Championships World Series in Tennessee:
The WWU softball program is in its 33rd season in 2025 while coming off a historic 52-12 season in 2024. The Vikings won the 2025 GNAC regular-season title with a 21-3 league record and have won back-to-back GNAC Tournament titles in 2024 and 2025. WWU advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships for the sixth time in program history in 2024, playing on its home field in the NCAA postseason for the first time. WWU won its first West Regional title defeating Cal State San Marcos in the sub-regional and Cal State Dominguez Hills in the Super Regional. The historic season ended playing in the national championship series as part of the NCAA Division II Spring Sports Festival in Longwood, Florida. WWU has posted a winning record 21 times during the 32-year history of the program, which won the 1998 NAIA National Championship in only its sixth season to record the school's first ever team national title.