Trine Thunder Softball the NCAA Division III Softball Defending National Champs Eye Repeat
Trine Thunder Softball: A Family of Champions
The two NCAA Division III national championships in three years that Trine Thunder Softball has won, only tells part of the story of who they are. The Thunder program is special, they operate as a family unit with care, and they’re positioned to do something that hasn’t been done in Division III softball since 2018.
After sweeping the whole NCAA Division III Tournament, finishing with Virginia Wesleyan in the 2025 championship series, Trine enters the 2026 season as the defending national champions and favorites to make another deep run. The Thunder finished last season ranked No. 1 in the country, and with the core of that championship team returning, expectations have never been higher.
“We basically take our softball and we wrap it around everything else that’s above on the priority list,” head coach Donnie Danklefsen said. That philosophy hasn’t changed heading into 2026, even as the target on their back grows larger.
The Weight of Winning
There’s something different about defending a national championship. Trine knows this better than most programs. They won their first title in 2023, went 43-5 in 2024 only to fall short in the Super Regionals, then came back stronger in 2025 with a 46-5 record and another championship. That kind of consistency doesn’t happen by accident.
The Thunder finished last season on a 13-game winning streak, going a perfect 10-0 through the NCAA tournament. They didn’t just win games. They dominated them. The pitching staff posted a 2.07 ERA for the season while the offense averaged over seven runs per game. That’s championship softball, and the core of that success returns for 2026.
“Last year they were on a mission to take back what they felt was theirs,” Danklefsen said, reflecting on how the 2024 Super Regional loss fueled the 2025 championship run. That hunger hasn’t diminished. The current senior class knows exactly what’s at stake this season.
“If they can make a run again, they can leave as the greatest class ever here,” Danklefsen explained. “All they heard about was last year’s senior class who won four conference titles, four NCAA regionals, four conference tournaments, three super regionals, a national runner up and a national championship. This group says if we can do it again, we’re the greatest class.”
However, there is always a challenge. No Division III team has repeated as national champions since Virginia Wesleyan did it in 2017 and 2018. The last time before that? You have to go back to 1998-1999 when Chapman pulled it off. Repeating at this level is very difficult, and Trine knows every team on their schedule will be treating them like they’re the World Series.
The Foundation That Wins Championships
What sets Trine apart isn’t just the talent or even the coaching. It’s what Danklefsen calls the priority list, and it might be the most important recruiting pitch in Division III softball.
“There’s gonna be the four priority lists. It’s gonna be the Lord, family, education and softball, and softball’s never gonna top the top three and it never should. It’s a game,” Danklefsen said. “We care more about their GPA than their ERA.”
That’s not just coach-speak or sounding good for the show. It’s how the program operates on a daily basis. When a student-athlete needs to miss practice for an interview or a help session, Danklefsen doesn’t bat an eye.
“If we do our job correctly and they miss practice one day to go to a job fair or interview or help session, if they’re not prepared, that’s on us,” he said. “We don’t need a four hour practice to get better. We can go an hour and a half, an hour and 35, two hours and be accomplished.”
For those wondering how that approach works? This is a program that finished with the sixth highest GPA in the country last season at 3.77. These aren’t just athletes. They’re engineering majors, pre-med students, future doctors and teachers who happen to be competing for national championships.
“Our kids can balance both things well. They leave here ready for the real world, and that’s more important than winning and losing,” Danklefsen said.
Leadership Without Titles
Walk into the Trine dugout and you won’t find any assigned captains. That’s a thing that Coach D doesn’t like, and it makes perfect sense why.
“I hate that word, captain. What is a captain? We’re not driving boats, we’re not going on charter fishing trips. We need leaders, and leaders simply emerge,” Danklefsen explained. “Nobody cares who had the game winning hit, somebody get it done. A hero can be somebody who did damage, it could be a high five, it could be a verbal comment, it could be picking up a bat in the dugout, whatever it is.”
This approach creates a different kind of accountability. Every player takes ownership. Every player has a voice. Then, when adversity hits, which it inevitably does during a 50-game season, the entire roster responds together.
That leadership should be learned in high school. That is another nugget of importance that we discussed on the Mays Sports Media Podcast. You have to learn how to grow from failure and adversity.
“You only grow when you fail,” Danklefsen said. “When you get knocked out, how do you get back up? And high school ball can be that way. You may have two kids that play travel and the rest of them don’t, and they’re not that locked in. But it teaches you how to be a leader, how do you get them to your side? How do you guide them? How do you deal with frustrations?”
Who’s Back and What They Bring
Start with the hero of last year’s championship game. Emma Lee crushed a three-run home run in the sixth inning of Game 2 against Virginia Wesleyan to give Trine the lead they’d never relinquish. That wasn’t just a big moment. It was the culmination of a season where Lee set the program record for most steals without being caught, going 33-for-33. She’s a senior now, and she’s got unfinished business.
Macy Rocha made the all-tournament team last season and returns as a senior. So does Debbie Hill, the 6-foot lefty two-way player who earned all-tournament honors and has been a force since arriving at Trine. When you can roll out Hill alongside the rest of the pitching staff, you’ve got options that most Division III programs can only dream about.
Kennedy Huckeby, Karley Trine, and Michaela Doiron round out the senior class. That’s six upperclassmen who’ve been through the wars, who know what it takes to win in May and June when the lights are brightest.
The junior class brings back Alex Rodriguez in the circle, Tyra Marcum (who made first-team All-American last season as a sophomore), Sydney Adolfson, and Keelin Wheaton. That’s four players who were key contributors to a championship run and now have another year of experience under their belts.
The Michon-Sized Question
Here’s what Trine has to figure out, how do you replace Alexis Michon?
Michon wasn’t just good last season. She was dominant. She went 26-1 with a 0.75 ERA, struck out 209 batters while walking just seven, and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. She pitched through a foot injury in the championship game and threw a complete-game two-hitter. She finished her career as Trine’s all-time leader in shutouts and saves.
“Last year everyone kind of knew the big game was coming, Alexis Michon was getting the ball. I mean, I think she had 209 strikeouts and like six or seven walks. Her walk ratio was out of this world,” Danklefsen said. “This year it’s kind of excited me because they know as a pitching staff, it’s gonna be a committee. It’s gonna be maybe you give me four innings, you give me two innings, you give me one, whatever the math’s gonna be.”
You don’t replace that. You can’t. What you can do is spread that production across multiple arms and trust your depth. Hill is more than capable of being an ace. The Thunder brought in freshman pitchers Kami Arnett and Brylie Couch who will get their chance to contribute. Also, Sydney Adolfson, a transfer from Salisbury who went 21-4 last season with a 1.35 ERA, gives them another reliable option.
“Sydney Adolfson, you know, she’s gonna be really good for us,” Danklefsen said. “She’s kinda learning our system, but it’ll be her and Debbie Hill I think will lead the way.”
The truth is, Trine’s pitching staff might not have one dominant ace like Michon, but they might have three or four really good pitchers who can all give you quality innings. That’s a different kind of strength, and it might be exactly what this team needs.
The Debbie Hill Factor
You can’t talk about Trine’s 2026 season without talking about Debbie Hill. The two-way star has been remarkable since arriving on campus, and she’s saving her best for last.
Hill burst onto the scene as a freshman, earning MVP honors at the conference tournament, regional, super regional, and World Series. She slashed .446/.583/.935 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs while going 13-5 in the circle with a 1.51 ERA. She struck out 128 batters in 97.1 innings while walking just 17.
That was three years ago. She’s only gotten better.
“Obviously she’s a huge piece of us moving forward,” Danklefsen said. “People don’t realize her freshman year she was dominant on the mound and then Michon came in and pitched with her and actually out-pitched her as a freshman, and last year Michon was so dominant that people didn’t realize how well Debbie threw. This year you’re gonna see a whole new phase of her again because she knows, hey, I’ve gotta be that number one or one A or one B.”
Hill enters her senior season with 50 career home runs and a .401 career batting average. She’s closing in on the program’s all-time home run record and has a legitimate shot at hitting .400 for her career. When asked about her legacy, Danklefsen’s answer was simple.
“When she committed, I told her, ‘Hey, here’s some of the records you’re gonna break.’ And she kinda looked at me like, ‘What?’ And I said, ‘This is why you’re coming here. You’re gonna leave here as one of the best to ever play here.’ And it took a long time to get her. I mean, we watched her for about three summers and everywhere she went, I went. And finally she was sick of me stalking her and finally said, ‘Okay, I’m coming.'”
The best thing about Hill? She has no idea how good she is. “She’s probably the most humble kid I’ve ever had,” Danklefsen said. “She had no idea she broke the single season home run record. She has no idea she’s closing in on the all time record here. You would never talk to that kid and realize she’s that good.”
The Freshman Class and What’s Ahead
Eight freshmen joined the program for 2026. That’s a big class, and it tells you something about what Danklefsen and his staff are building. They’re not just recruiting for this year. They’re recruiting for sustained success.
The program’s culture makes that easier. When your pitch to recruits includes “we care more about your GPA than your ERA,” you attract a different kind of player. You get kids who want to be part of something bigger than themselves. You get the kind of culture where leadership emerges naturally rather than being assigned through captain titles.
“Our culture here I think is pretty special and pretty unique,” Danklefsen said. “It’s all about the team. And they understand that culture is it’s not about you, it’s about we.”
@mayssportsmedia Coach Donnie Danklefsen of the NCAA Division III National Champions Trine University Softball stopped by this morning. Check out the full conversation on the Mays Sports Media Podcast with @Ricky Bumgardner Jr #softball #whatmatters #collegesoftball ♬ original sound – Mays Sports Media
The recruiting process at Trine is different too. Danklefsen doesn’t get caught up in batting averages or travel ball accolades. He’s looking for something else.
“I don’t even care about their batting average. I care, can they compete? Will they show up? Will they work hard? Are they a good person? How many high fives will they give during practice and a game?” he said. “The character is way more important than that. And guess what? The more time they spend with their family, usually the character goes up.”
The Schedule and the Path
Trine will face their first big test at the NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Georgia, from March 6-8. It’s a loaded field that includes several teams that made deep runs in the 2025 tournament. That tournament has become a launching pad for championship runs, and Trine won’t take it lightly.
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association schedule will be tough as always. Conference play in Division III is grueling because you’re facing the same teams multiple times, and everyone knows everyone else’s tendencies, but that’s also where championships are made. The Thunder will need to be sharp every time they step on the field.
They’ll also participate in The Spring Games, where they’ll face other Division III programs in what’s essentially become the division’s premier early-season showcase. It’s a chance to test themselves against different styles of play and see where they stack up against the nation’s best.
“Last year we had the best strength of schedule in the country and we try to overload that every year,” Danklefsen said.
The Culture That Sustains
What makes Trine different isn’t just the talent or the coaching. It’s the foundation underneath all of it. When Danklefsen talks about academics being more important than athletics, he means it. When he says the team prioritizes personal growth over wins, it’s not just coach-speak. You can see it in how the program operates.
Players are encouraged to balance their commitments. They’re taught to handle adversity with grace and celebrate wins with humility. They learn that losses are opportunities to grow, not just games to forget. That’s the kind of environment where championships get won, sure, but it’s also the kind of environment where 18-to-22-year-olds become better people.
“I want our kids to have that night before Christmas feeling all year long,” Danklefsen said. “I want them to sit in class and look at their phone and go, ‘Oh, I get to go to practice,’ not ‘I have to go.’ If it’s ‘have to,’ you’ve already lost that day.”
The community support is real too. During last year’s championship run, local restaurants provided meals. Other university coaches came out to support the team. That kind of investment in a program creates a sense of responsibility. These players aren’t just representing themselves or even their university. They’re representing an entire community that believes in them.
“There’s different coaches here that are outta season now that make meals for us, bring them over. Certain restaurants say, ‘Okay, come on in. We’ll give you a discount. We won’t charge you, whatever.’ So there’s a lot of people in the community that know postseason’s coming and they volunteer,” Danklefsen said.
What Success Looks Like for Trine Thunder Softball
Here’s the thing about Trine heading into 2026, success doesn’t have to mean winning another national championship, even if that’s obviously the goal. Success is about continuing to build young women who leave Angola, Indiana, ready for whatever life throws at them. It’s about maintaining a culture where character comes first and winning follows naturally from that foundation.
Let’s be real for a minute. They’re going for the repeat. They have the talent, the coaching, the culture, and the motivation. Seniors want to go out on top. The junior class wants to prove last year wasn’t a fluke. The sophomores who contributed as freshmen want to take another step forward. And those eight freshmen want to be part of something special from day one.
“I think first you’re gonna see great leadership from our upperclassmen through freshmen,” Danklefsen said about what fans can expect. “You’re gonna see our team’s gonna work hard. They’re gonna play the game the right way, in my opinion. And they’re gonna be great teammates. Obviously they’re gonna hit some long balls, they’re gonna hit the ball hard. But you’re gonna see them play together and hopefully you’re gonna see smiles and enjoyment and just love what they’re doing.”
The target on their back is massive. Every team they play will be bringing their A-game, circling the Trine matchup on their schedule, talking about being the team that takes down the defending champs. That’s the reality of being number one. That’s what makes repeating so hard.
If any program is built to handle that pressure, it’s this one. Trine has shown they can win when expectations are high. They’ve shown they can bounce back from disappointment, and they’ve shown that their way of doing things, the character-first approach that some might dismiss as soft, actually produces tougher, more resilient athletes.
“Character’s sometimes more important than athleticism,” Danklefsen said, echoing what he saw in Indiana’s football championship. “You get some guys that know how to win, that are mature, played the game for a while now. It worked pretty well.”
No program has repeated as Division III softball champions in eight years. Trine enters 2026 with a chance to do just that. They’ve got the pieces. They’ve got the culture. They’ve got the coaching staff that’s turned this program into a national power.
Whether they bring home another championship or not, one thing is certain, they’ll do it the right way. They’ll compete with class. They’ll lift each other up, and they’ll leave everything on the field.
The 2026 season kicks off in February. The Thunder are ready. The question is whether everyone else is ready for them.
Stay tuned to Mays Sports Media for more college softball and sports features across the landscape.
