CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – After starting the 2026 season out west in Phoenix, Arizona last week, Harvard softball is back on the east coast this weekend, taking part in the Upstate Classic and Sparkle City Invite in Spartanburg, South Carolina from Friday, Feb. 20 to Sunday, Feb. 22.

The weekend starts on Friday, Feb. 20 with a showdown against New England neighbor Holy Cross at 12:30 p.m., as the Crimson end Friday with a 3:00 p.m. meeting against USC Upstate. Saturday, Feb. 21 sees the Crimson start the day at 11:00 a.m. with a rematch against Holy Cross, as the day ends against Wofford at 4:00 p.m. Harvard ends its time in the Palmetto State on Sunday, Feb. 22, facing Morgan State at 10:00 a.m.

CRIMSON UPDATES

• Harvard enters the weekend in South Carolina with a 1-3 record, earning a 5-4 walk off win against Northern Colorado on Saturday night to pick up the first victory of the 2026 season. Senior infielder Finley Payne secured the win for the Crimson with a two-run walk off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning.
• In a tightly contested 2-1 loss against a Grand Canyon side that received votes in the latest NFCA Coaches Poll, junior infielder Alexa Wohr hit the Crimson's first home run of the season in the seventh inning, while senior pitcher Riley Flynn only allowed two runs with three hits and two strikeouts.
• At the plate, junior outfielder and team captain Audrey Szollosi paced the Crimson's offense in Phoenix, leading the team with a .462 batting average, six hits and two runs. A native of Upper Arlington, Ohio, Szollosi recorded three hits and two runs in Harvard's 5-4 win against Northern Colorado.
• Senior pitcher Ryan Grace was lights out at the GCU Invite. Appearing in all four games, Grace tallied team-bests in earned run average (0.78), strikeouts (10) and opposing batting average (.206).
• For just the second time in her career, Grace earned Ivy League Picher of the Week honors.
• The Crimson's team captains this season are Grace, Szollosi and junior infielder Megan Davies.
• Head coach Jenny Rohn is in her third season at the helm of the Crimson's softball program, as Rohn owns a 54-33 record at Harvard and 89-80 career record.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

• Holy Cross begins its 2026 campaign this weekend in South Carolina. In 2025, the Crusaders ended the year with an 8-37 record and a 1-17 mark in Patriot League play.
• Winners of its last six contests, USC Upstate is 7-1 this season. Last weekend saw the Spartans go undefeated at the Wings ETC Classic, earning two wins against West Georgia and two wins against Youngstown State. The defending Big South Tournament Champions, USC Upstate went 39-16 last season.
• Another squad brining in a six-game winning streak, Wofford is 8-1 this season, as its last time out saw the Terriers earn four wins against UNC Wilmington, UMBC and St. Bonaventure. Wofford ended the 2026 season with a 30-22 record, bowing out in the Southern Conference Tournament.
• Morgan State is also kicking off the 2026 season this weekend, as the Lady Bears went 19-29 with a 12-9 record in MEAC play last year.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Crimson and Holy Cross own a lengthy series, with the first ever meetings arriving during the 1983 season. Harvard leads the all-time series, 43-8, as Holy Cross pulled off a 6-4 win in the last meeting during the 2019 campaign.
• Harvard and USC Upstate will meet for the first time ever on the softball diamond.
• Saturday's contest represents the first ever matchup between Harvard and Wofford.
• The Crimson and Morgan State will face off for the first time ever.

HERE COMES THE SUN

• In her third season with the Crimson, Sun is one of the most talented hitters in the Ancient Eight.
• Opening weekend saw Sun post a .417 batting average with five hits and one run, as she also led the Crimson with five runs driven in.
• The first student-athlete in conference history to win Ivy League Player and Rookie of the Year in the same season, Sun ranked in the top five in the Ivy League in batting average (.411), on-base percentage (.469), runs scored (33), hits (53) and total bases (81) during the 2025 season.
• A 2024 Top 10 Finalist for the Tucci/NFCA Freshman of the Year award, Sun is the current all-time program leader in career batting average (.416), slugging percentage (.701) and on-base percentage (.473).
• A native of Austin, Texas, Sun was ranked No. 98 in D1Softball's D100 Top 100 Mid-Major players, only one of three Ivy League student-athletes to receive the honor.

R.O.Y FACTORY

• The last three Ivy League Rookies of the Year are all products of the Crimson, as Harvard is the first program in Ivy League history to product three consecutive Rookie of the Year honorees.
• Last season, sophomore utility Alexa Muller won Ivy League Rookie of the Year after shining at the plate, especially in conference action.
• Muller led all first-years last season in the Ancient Eight in batting average (.368) and hits (28). A native of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Muller ranked third in batting average (.436) and second in on-base percentage (.515) in Ivy League contests last season.
• In 2024, Sun orchestrated one of the greatest rookie seasons in recent memory, leading all first-years in the NCAA in slugging percentage (.797) and ranked third among all first-years in the nation in batting average (.421).
• The 2023 season saw Flynn earn Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors after setting a new program record for saves in a season with six, as the Phoenix, Arizona native was the 2023 Ivy League Tournament Most Outstanding Player after tallying 11 innings in all three wins for the Crimson.

IVY LEAGUE EXCELLENCE

• Over the last five full seasons, Harvard is one of the top softball programs in the Ivy League, owning a league-best 90-36 record in conference play from 2018 to 2024.
• In that time span, Harvard is the only team in the Ancient Eight to not drop double-digit conference games in a single season.
• Harvard won back-to-back Ivy League regular season titles in 2023 and 2024, as it won the inaugural Ivy League Tournament in Princeton in 2023.

CRIMSON ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY

• Harvard softball is rolling with a roster that pulls talent from across the nation this season.
• 11 different states are included on the Crimson's roster this season including Arizona, New Jersey, Hawaii, Washington, California, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina.

UP NEXT

Harvard wraps up its tournament slate in the Sunshine State from Friday, Feb. 27 to Sunday, Mar. 1 at the FIU Classic.

For complete coverage of Harvard Softball, follow the team on Twitter (@HarvardSB) and Instagram (@harvardsb).