The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) released their 2026 Softball Division III Regional Awards across the country, and the Chargers' Ava Stern (Fr.) made the release as she was named to the Region IV Third Team. This is the first career All-Regional selection for Stern and the first by a Charger since the 2024 season, joining a list of just six NFCA All-Regional players in LBC program history and becoming the first freshman in program history to earn these honors. In addition, Stern was also named to the NCCAA Mideast All-Regional Team for her outstanding first season in Lancaster.
 
Ava Stern earns All-Regional honors for the first time in her career, tying for the Chargers' team lead at a .386 batting average and leading the team with 44 hits. Stern led the Chargers in total bases with 64 and had nine doubles, four triples, and one home run, tying for the team lead in doubles and leading the team in triples. She ranked second on the team with a .561 slugging percentage and second in stolen bases with 15, driving in a team-best 34 RBI which ranks fourth on the LBC single-season RBI list. Ava also helped lead the Chargers' 1-2 pitching tandem as she threw 93 innings this season, finishing with a 4.37 ERA with an 8-7 record in 17 appearances and striking out a team-best 66 batters, ranking eighth in the United East at the end of the year. In the NCCAA, Stern ranked 10th in the Mideast in batting average and ninth in stolen bases, helping lead LBC to top-10 national rankings in the NCCAA in both batting average (.332) and slugging percentage (.459).
 
Stern was one of eight players across the United East to tab NFCA All-Regional honors as Emily Randalls (Wilson) was named to the First Team, Mackenzi Tice (Penn College), Payton Crawford (Penn College), Ryleigh Rinker (Penn College), Katelyn Keller (Wilson), and Emma McElroy (Penn St. Brandywine) all earned Second Team honors, and Lexi Bussenger (Penn St. Brandywine) joined Stern on the Third Team. For the NCCAA Mideast Region, Jordan Bufford (Oakland City) was named Regional Player of the Year, Arin Rife (Alice Lloyd) was named Regional Pitcher of the Year, and Mark Ritchhart (Kentucky Christian) earned Regional Coach of the Year honors.
 
To view the rest of the NFCA and NCCAA Regional awards, click the full releases here. NFCA release | NCCAA All-Region team