FRANKLIN, Mass. – The Dean College Department of Athletics & Recreation is pleased to announce the 2026 schedule for softball. This will be the team's sixth season competing in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC).

This upcoming season will be the first under the direction of Head Coach Sara Fallon, who was brought into the position August of last year. Fallon was last with Regis College as an assistant coach for the previous two seasons.

Coach Fallon will be joined by an experienced lineup of a dozen returners, highlighted by team captains Xandra Silva (New Britain, Conn.), Liana Silva (New Britain, Conn.), Sydnee Ramos (New Bedford, Mass.), and Bryce DeGasparre (Attleboro, Mass.).

Ramos, entering her final season, recently broke the program's all-time hits record and became the first player in program history to reach 100 career hits. She led the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) last season with a .483 batting average.

In addition to the returners, softball also has a flurry of new additions to this year's roster. Emily Yazzetti (Mahopac, N.Y.) officially makes the jump from field hockey to softball. She played softball throughout her high school career. First-year athletes Nina Ostafin (West Hartford, Conn.) and Ashley Mastrodomenico (Middleboro, Mass.) also joined the lineup.

The Bulldogs will begin their 2026 campaign at The Spring Games, located at the Fortune Road Athletic Complex in Kissimmee, Florida. Dean will play ten different opponents in the week stretch, including the season opener on March 8^th against Penn State University-Berks.

Dean returns home the following week for a brief rest. They will then hit the road on March 19^th with a road matchup against Fitchburg State University. The non-conference doubleheader will be the first of the Bulldogs' 14 away games throughout the season. This includes eight against Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opponents.

The Bulldogs will host their home opener at Longley Athletic Complex on March 21^st with a doubleheader against GNAC opponent, Colby-Sawyer College. Dean will host 14 home games throughout the 2026 season, with ten GNAC opponents.

To learn more about the Dean College Softball program, please visit any of the respective links above.

For Media Inquiries:
Brett Chaves
Sports Information Director, Dean College Athletics
(508) 541-1826
BChaves@dean.edu