FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University softball team begins play at the 2026 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship on Thursday morning. The second-seeded Stags will take on the winner of third-seeded Iona University and sixth-seeded Siena University beginning at 3 pm. The championship is hosted by top-seeded Marist University and runs through Saturday, May 9.

Fairfield finished the regular season with a three-game sweep of Saint Peter's University, completing a strong end-of-season run that saw the Stags win 16 of their 21 games overall (.762 winning percentage) 13 of 16 MAAC games (.813 winning percentage) since April 1. The team captured the number two seed in the MAAC Championship with its 19-7 record which led to the program's 27-22 overall mark.

Head Coach Julie Brzezinski's squad owns a 7-3 record against the teams in this year's MAAC Championship. The Stags dropped a pair to Marist University in both teams' opening weekend. Fairfield rallied to win seven of its remaining eight games against the field, registering a three-game sweep at Sacred Heart and a doubleheader sweep against Quinnipiac. The team lost the first game of a three-game set with Siena but rallied to win the next two. The Stags did not meet Iona University in the regular season.

At the heart of Fairfield's success are three student-athletes who earned All-MAAC honors this year, namely Sarah Bielski, Anna Paravati, and Alyssa Weinberg. Bielski paced the Stags' offense with team bests in batting average (.345) and on-base percentage (.477). Her 41 base hits are just one off the team lead, a distinction held by Ava Armuth (.318 batting average).

Paravati is the third Stag to reach 40 hits in the regular season while her 28 RBI ties freshman Sammie Doughtery for the top spot on the Fairfield statistics sheet. The third baseman continues to be one of the team's most consistent offensive player, checking into the tournament with a .294 batting average and 140 career hits.

Weinberg currently stands fourth in career wins (43), third in appearances with 120, third in strikeouts with 503, and second with 6.93 strikeouts per 7 innings pitched. This year, the senior leads the MAAC with 185 strikeouts after doing the same in 2025 with 190 strikeouts. She gained her 500th career strikeout in the regular season finale against Saint Peter's. She owns a 15-10 overall record with a save, three shutouts, and a 2.50 ERA.

Fairfield is looking for its fourth MAAC championship. The Stags won the conference title for the first time in 1991. The program also captured the championship and the NCAA automatic bid in 2015 (Buffalo, N.Y.) and 2017 (New Rochelle, N.Y.).

For complete tournament coverage including inclement weather updates, please visit the MAAC Softball Championship web site.