The Lancaster Bible College Softball team is prepped for their 2026 season under fifth-year head coach John Clemens (57-91), seeing 34 games on their schedule with 16 United East conference games for the season before postseason play begins. The Chargers are coming off a 16-18 season in 2025 with an 6-10 record in United East play, just missing out on the playoffs while ending the season on a five-game win streak. The Chargers look to improve upon last season in the 13-team field this year as the top-10 teams qualify for the United East Postseason this year. Lancaster Bible came in ranked eighth in this year's United East Preseason Poll, projecting an improvement over last year's placement standing in the middle of the conference before action kicks off. Penn St. Berks claims the top spot in the Preseason Poll entering this year, with last year's champion Penn St. Brandywine ranking second in the poll, followed by Penn St. Harrisburg, Penn College, and Wilson to round out the top-five.
 
The Chargers have a strong pool of returning players for 2026, including 2025 All-Conference Second Team selection Maddison Atkins (Sr.), leading the Chargers as a hitter and as a pitcher. Maddison pitched a team-high 112.1 innings last season which was tenth in the conference, posted a 5.11 ERA and a 2.01 WHIP and 17 total complete games, tied for the third-most in the United East. She racked up 76 total strikeouts and pitched two shutouts, surpassing 200 career strikeouts on March 2 against Vermont St. Lyndon to begin last season. Atkins also had 28 total hits for a .272 batting average at the plate with nine extra-base hits and 15 runs scored. Also returning for the Chargers is KariAnn Mecke (Jr.), leading all returners with a .330 batting average in 2025 with 30 hits and 18 runs batted in. Mecke also leads all returners with an .864 OPS and a .413 slugging percentage in 2025. Other key returners include Keira Price (So.) who tied for the team lead with two home runs last year with 18 total walks, the most among returners, as well as Carleigh Cleland (Jr.) who led the Chargers' defensive effort at catcher with a 96.3% fielding rate and three caught stealing.
 
Lancaster Bible opens their season tomorrow on Friday, March 6 as they travel to face Sweet Briar in a double-header starting at 1:30 p.m., then the Chargers travel down to Myrtle Beach, S.C. to compete in the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic with eight total games against a variety of non-conference opponents from March 8-12. Returning up north, the Chargers face Albright in a non-conference set before hosting their lone non-conference series of the season as they host Southern Virginia on Saturday, March 21 starting at 11:00 a.m. Then after a set with Franklin & Marshall, the Chargers open up United East play with a road double-header at Gallaudet on Saturday, March 28 starting at 1:00 p.m. Lancaster Bible then hosts both Keystone and Valley Forge in home conference play to open up April on the 1st and 3rd, then travels to Stevenson in non-conference before a conference set at Penn St. Abington on Saturday, April 11. The Chargers then welcome Cairn on Wednesday, April 15 starting at 3:00 p.m. before two more road series against both defending champions Penn St. Brandywine as well as Wilson. The Chargers close the regular season with a home set against Penn St. Berks on Saturday, April 25, with the United East postseason slated to begin the following Wednesday, April 29.
 
To follow along with the Softball team and all of LBC's athletic programs, view this link to the Softball Schedule and follow the Chargers on Instagram at lbcathletics.