John Donahoe, Jessica Allister, teamJohn Donahoe, Jessica Allister, team
Softball

Season in Review: Softball

THE CARDINAL DEBUTED ITS NEW HOME THIS SEASON, going 39-14 in the first season in Stanford Softball Stadium. The team set a program record with 18 conference wins, and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the seventh-straight season.

The postseason trip was Stanford's 23rd time as a program, and marked a sixth-straight regional final appearance.

The Cardinal moved into Stanford Softball Stadium in February, but arguably the biggest moment in the new ballpark came in April. The then-No. 5 Florida State Seminoles came to The Farm for a three-game series, and flew back home winless. The Cardinal picked up the top-five sweep behind a pair of dramatic walk-off wins, including a seventh-inning grand slam from Addyson Sheppard on April 10.

Stanford also added to the program record book on the road, tossing the 37th no-hitter in program history on April 7 at UC Davis. The combined no-no came on the arms of Zoe Prystajko (3 IP), Anna Brewer (2 IP), Ava Bulanti (1 IP) and Alyssa Houston (1 IP). The performance was the first seven-inning no-hitter for Stanford since 2023, and just the second combined no-hitter in program history. The only other came in 2014, with Madi Schreyer and Nyree White accomplishing the feat in five innings.

Broke in the New Digs

Broke in the New Digs

The Cardinal moved into the program's new home in 2026, christening Stanford Softball Stadium with a 4-2 win over then-No. 24 Oklahoma State on Feb. 5.

Stanford finished the season 24-7 at the new state-of-the-art stadium, including six wins over ranked opponents.

Senior Sendoff

Senior Sendoff

Stanford said farewell to a dominant senior class in 2026. Kyra Chan, Emily Jones, Taryn Kern, River Mahler, Allison Morikawa and Ella Murchison saw the team reach the Women's College World Series twice, making the postseason all four years and winning 178 career games.

The class combined for three All-America honors, 10 NFCA All-West Region selections and 11 All-Conference nods.

All-American Taryn Kern

All-American Taryn Kern

Kern was named an NFCA All-America second team selection after the season, giving the Cardinal a fifth different NFCA All-America selection in the last four years.

The senior led the team in both runs scored (69) and RBI (49). The 69 runs scored were the second-most in a season in program history, and gave her 176 in her career. Kern's .897 slugging percentage was the most in a single season in program history, and brought her career clip to .721, also a program record.

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Milestones in the Dugout

Milestones in the Dugout

Paul A. Violich Director of Softball Jessica Allister hit a pair of milestones this season, earning her 300th win at Stanford as well as her 600th win in her career. Jessica Mendoza Associate Head Coach Jessica Merchant shared the records as well, working with Allister for all 600 wins.

The season's 39 wins give Allister a 327-157 record as the head coach at her alma mater. Factoring in her time on The Farm as an assistant coach (2007-09) and as a student-athlete (2001-04) Allister owns a lifetime 647-285-1 record with the Cardinal.

Awards & Accolades

Name Awards
Taryn Kern NFCA All-America Second Team
NFCA All-West Region First Team
All-ACC First Team
Zoe Prystajko NFCA All-West Region First Team
All-ACC First Team
Kyra Chan NFCA All-West Region Second Team
All-ACC First Team
Emily Jones NFCA All-West Region Second Team
All-ACC Second Team
Jade Berry NFCA All-West Region Third Team
All-ACC Third Team
Anna Brewer ACC All-Freshman Team