SUNY CCC Captures NJCAA Region III Title, Punches Ticket to National Tournament

CORNING, N.Y. -- The SUNY Corning Community College softball team defeated Jefferson Community College, 4-1 and 10-1, to capture the 2026 NJCAA Region III A Championship on Sunday, May 10, 2026. It is the ninth NJCAA Regional title in the program's history, and its fifth in the last six seasons.

With the win, the Red Barons punched their ticket to the 2026 NJCAA National Championship Tournament, which will take place May 20-23 at Carrier Park in DeWitt, New York.

"Winning a Region III Championship is an exciting experience and I am so proud of this team for reaching their goal and getting the satisfaction that all their hard work and dedication was rewarded," said Head Coach Stacy Johnson. "Playing in the NJCAA College World Series is a special experience and I am so happy that this team has earned that privilege. A very small portion of student athletes get to play in a National Championship environment, so what they have achieved is rare. Although we have been fortunate to make 5 trips in the past six years, each time is special as the players change so quickly at a two-year college."

"This group has been fun to watch this season, and I'm very proud of the way they competed Sunday," stated Director of Athletics, Isaac Bushey. "Winning another Region III Championship on our home field and earning the opportunity to represent the Red Barons at the national tournament is something these student-athletes and coaches truly deserve."

SUNY CCC captured game one on the back of a stellar pitching performance from Chloe Perritt (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads), who tossed a full seven innings of one-run ball. Perritt struck out nine batters en route to her 17th win of the 2026 season. The Red Baron offense was spread out across the team, as Marlee Stanton (Troy, PA/Troy), Makenna Dunbar (Wellsville, NY/Wellsville), and Stella White (Dewitt, NY/Jamesville Dewitt) drove in one run apiece. White's RBI came on a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Game two was much of the same for the Red Barons defensively, as Kailey Gardner (Fairport, NY/Fairport) fanned five batters and allowed just one run in a complete-game win. For Gardner it was her 13th win of the 2026 campaign.

Offensively, SUNY CCC was fueled by White, who went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and one run scored. Dominika Diaz (Endicott, NY/Union Endicott) scored a game-high three runs, while Stanton and Dunbar each scored twice. Stanton also drove in a run, as did Ashlyn Courson (Erie, CO/Erie).

"This group has overachieved and keeps getting stronger each time out," added Johnson. "We have shown the ability to win in different ways with 3 extra inning wins, 8 come from behind victories, 6 one run wins and 12 wins where we invoked the 8-run rule. I truly believe that the catalyst to this year's success has been the relationship these players have with each other and enjoying playing together. They celebrate each other's success as much as their own success and it has been a fun thing to be involved with. They play for each other and keep believing until the last out. We are looking forward to taking the field next week with the Nations Top Eight teams and seeing what we can do. The goal has always been to return to the College World Series by winning the Region III Championship so anything from here on out is icing on the cake. We will play hard, fight to the end and let the chips fall where they may."

White was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player, while Perritt and Courson were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Several Red Barons were recognized for their efforts throughout the season with NJCAA All-Region accolades. Erika David (Bronx, NY/Manhattan Center for Science and Math), Eliza Lane (Dillsburg, PA/Cedar Cliff), Diaz, and Dunbar were named to the All-Region First Team, while Ava Sherman (Elmira, NY/Elmira) was selected to the All-Region Second Team.

In addition to student-athlete honors, Coach Johnson was named the NJCAA Region III Coach of the Year. It is the 11th time in Johnson's storied career that she has collected the region's top coaching honor.