Lady Royals Return to NAIA Opening Round for Second Straight Season

For the second straight season, Johnson University softball is headed to the national stage.

The Lady Royals officially punched their ticket to the 2026 NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round, earning a spot in the Columbia, Kentucky Regional hosted by Lindsey Wilson College. Johnson enters the bracket as the No. 5 seed and will open play against No. 4 Tennessee Southern on May 11, with the winner advancing to face top-seeded Lindsey Wilson. The opposite side of the bracket features No. 2 Missouri Baptist and No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan.

For a program still in just its seventh season of existence, the return to the Opening Round marks another major step in Johnson's rise. After making its first NAIA Tournament appearance a season ago, the Lady Royals are now back in the national field in consecutive years, continuing to build a postseason standard for the young program.

This year's berth came through a different kind of path. A season after winning the AAC Tournament championship, Johnson earned its 2026 national tournament bid as an automatic qualifier after sharing the AAC regular-season championship. The Lady Royals enter the Opening Round with a 31-18 overall record, including an 8-2 mark over their last 10 games.

Head Coach Dayna Carter said the moment reflected the toughness and identity her team has carried all season.

"Counted out all season, still punched our ticket," Carter said. "No hype, no spotlight, just purpose. They see a small town softball team and we see a family with one goal."

That family-first approach has carried Johnson through a season filled with close games, statement wins and high-pressure moments. The Lady Royals showed their postseason toughness in the AAC Tournament, opening with a 12-inning battle against Columbia International before earning another extra-inning victory over Pikeville. Behind complete-game efforts in the circle and timely production throughout the lineup, Johnson proved it could handle the pressure of postseason softball.

Johnson's offense has been a steady piece of the team's success. The Lady Royals enter the national tournament hitting .300 as a team, with 236 runs scored, a .362 on-base percentage, a .408 slugging percentage and 20 home runs. That balanced production has helped Carter's team stay dangerous throughout the lineup while leaning on a veteran core that has already experienced the national tournament stage.

The Columbia Regional will not offer an easy road. Tennessee Southern enters the national field at 30-17, while host Lindsey Wilson has put together one of the strongest seasons in the country at 41-6. Missouri Baptist and Indiana Wesleyan round out a loaded five-team bracket, giving Johnson a challenging but familiar postseason path.

The Opening Round format will be double elimination, with 48 teams competing across 10 sites nationwide. Only the winner of each Opening Round bracket will advance to the NAIA Softball World Series, which begins May 21 at the South Commons Softball Complex in Columbus, Georgia.

Last season, Johnson's first NAIA Tournament trip ended with losses to Thomas University and Evangel University. This time, the Lady Royals return with experience, belief and a clear opportunity to capture the program's first NAIA Opening Round victory.

For Carter's group, the story is not about the spotlight. It is about a team that kept showing up, kept fighting and kept believing there was more softball to play.

Now, for the second year in a row, Johnson University softball is still playing in May — and the Lady Royals are headed to Columbia with one goal in mind.