BACK AGAIN! CACC Champion Softball Earns Third Straight NCAA East Regional Berth
Purple Knights, seeded seventh, will take on No. 2 seed and host Adelphi on Thursday.
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - Fresh off capturing the first CACC Championship in program history, the University of Bridgeport's softball team (33-18) is NCAA Tournament bound once again. The Purple Knights earned the No. 7 seed in the East Regional during Monday's selection show and will open play against second-seeded host Adelphi on Thursday.
UB enters the "Big Dance" with a 33-18 overall record, marking the program's second straight 33-win campaign and fourth 30-win season since 2022. The Purple Knights are NCAA Tournament bound for the third straight year and fifth time over the last six seasons.
Bridgeport will arrive at regionals as one of the hottest teams in the nation after reeling off nine consecutive victories, highlighted by a perfect 5-0 run through the CACC Tournament to secure the first conference championship in program history (UB had won three consecutive ECC Championships prior to leaving the conference for the CACC in 2022-23).
The Purple Knights punctuated last weekend with back-to-back wins over top-seeded Caldwell, who earned the No. 4 seed in the upcoming NCAA East Regional.
Senior right-hander Vise Zarate headlined UB's dominant tournament performance, earning CACC Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors after going a perfect 5-0 with a sparkling 0.70 ERA across 30 innings pitched.
Zarate tossed three complete games during the five-game stretch while striking out 14 batters and issuing just three walks.
Offensively, Sydnee Perreault delivered a massive tournament performance, batting .400 (8-for-20) with 10 RBIs, three doubles, two home runs and a triple over the five victories.
Meanwhile, 2026 CACC Player of the Year Mya Jones capped the championship run in style, going a perfect 4-for-4 with a solo home run in the title-game victory over Caldwell.
Zarate, Perreault and Jones were all recognized on the CACC All-Tournament Team alongside teammates Breanna Pelaez, McKenzie Morgan and Sophia Philippou following UB's championship run.
A full preview of the NCAA Softball East Regional will be posted to UBKnights.com on Wednesday.
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Thursday's showdown with the Panthers will feel familiar for the Purple Knights, as it marks the exact same East Regional first-round matchup from two years ago when UB entered as the No. 7 seed and traveled to face second-seeded Adelphi.