Friday, February 6
Orlando, Fla.
11:30 a.m.
University at Buffalo
vs
Maryland
Photo by: Paul Hokanson / UB Athletics
Bulls to Open the 2026 Season at the UCF Black & Gold Classic
2/5/2026 2:47:00 PM | Softball
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo softball team (0-0, 0-0 MAC) will begin their 2026 campaign on Friday at the Black & Gold Classic hosted by UCF. They'll open on Friday morning against the Maryland Terrapins. First pitch is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. The Bulls will then play the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners at 4:30 p.m.
The Bulls' schedule this weekend will be as followed:
It's a new era for Buffalo softball as Head Coach Chelsea Plimpton will begin her first stint at the helm.
Last season, the Bulls finished with an overall record of 17-33 and 10-17 in MAC play. Their 10 conference wins were their most since winning 13 in the 2022 season. In 2025, Plimpton helped the Bulls take home postseason hardware. Reagan Terwilliger earned First-Team All-MAC honors as Abbey Nagel took home Second-Team All-MAC honors. Emily Gorman was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team list. Off the field, four Bulls earned Academic All-MAC distinction.
In her first recruiting cycle, Plimpton brought in seven new faces to the program. Five of the newcomers are transfers including MAAC Freshman of the Year Tabitha von Kolen (Pheonix, Ariz.) who spent last season at Canisius. Another Canisius transfer is Vivi Vargas (Chula Vista, Calif.). Also joining the program is Bri Delaney (Lockport, N.Y. / Niagara), Kate Dailor (Honeoye Falls, N.Y. / Bucknell), Nicole Allen (Penfield, N.Y. / Stonybrook) and Delaney Ellis (Massillon, Ohio / Cleveland State). Sophia Avin (Chesapeake, Va.) checks in as the only freshman on the team.
The Buffalo roster holds 13 sophomores, the most of any MAC team. Coming back this season are sophomores Julia Telep, Ardyn Hopf, Miranda Zipp, Malena Toth, Ava Thelen, Genevieve Longsdorf, Bella Smithson and Emily Gorman. Reagan Terwilliger, Lily Lauck, Abbey Nagel, Olivia Russ and Emily Watters round out the upper classmen.
BY THE NUMBERS
Buffalo vs. Maryland
SERIES: Maryland leads, 1-0
NOTES: The lone meeting between the Bulls and Terrapins came on March 18, 2017. Maryland took down Buffalo, 6-3.
GAME 2
Buffalo vs. CSU Bakersfield
SERIES: First meeting between programs
GAME 3
Buffalo vs. Boston U
SERIES: Buffalo leads, 3-2
NOTES: The Bulls defeated the Terriers, 1-0, on March 17, 2007. Last season, Boston U advanced to the NCAA tournament after winning the Patriot League Tournament. They fell to #3 Oklahoma in the opening round in the NCAA Tournament, 8-0, followed by a 3-1 loss to Omaha.
GAME 4
Buffalo vs. #19 Duke
SERIES: First meeting between programs
NOTES: The Bulls are 0-10 against nationally ranked programs. They played teams in the national rankings three times last season. They opened the season with a pair of games against #23 Oregon at the UNLV Desert Classic. Their last ranked opponent was #9 Georgia on Feb. 20th last season when the Bulls fell, 11-3.
GAME 5
Buffalo vs. UCF
SERIES: UCF leads, 1-0
NOTES: The lone meeting between the Knights and Bulls came on Feb. 17, 2013. The Knights beat the Bulls, 6-1.
For all the latest on UB Softball, follow @UBBullssoftball on Twitter/X, @ubbullssoftball on Instagram and like the UB Softball Facebook page.
Click here for information on the Bulls Championship Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.
The Bulls' schedule this weekend will be as followed:
- Friday, Feb. 6 at 11:30 a.m. vs. Maryland
- Friday, Feb. 6 at 4:30 p.m. vs. CSU Bakersfield
- Saturday, Feb. 7 at 9 a.m. vs. Boston U
- Saturday, Feb. 7 at 11:30 a.m. vs. #19 Duke
- Sunday, Feb. 8 at 11 a.m. vs. UCF
It's a new era for Buffalo softball as Head Coach Chelsea Plimpton will begin her first stint at the helm.
Last season, the Bulls finished with an overall record of 17-33 and 10-17 in MAC play. Their 10 conference wins were their most since winning 13 in the 2022 season. In 2025, Plimpton helped the Bulls take home postseason hardware. Reagan Terwilliger earned First-Team All-MAC honors as Abbey Nagel took home Second-Team All-MAC honors. Emily Gorman was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team list. Off the field, four Bulls earned Academic All-MAC distinction.
In her first recruiting cycle, Plimpton brought in seven new faces to the program. Five of the newcomers are transfers including MAAC Freshman of the Year Tabitha von Kolen (Pheonix, Ariz.) who spent last season at Canisius. Another Canisius transfer is Vivi Vargas (Chula Vista, Calif.). Also joining the program is Bri Delaney (Lockport, N.Y. / Niagara), Kate Dailor (Honeoye Falls, N.Y. / Bucknell), Nicole Allen (Penfield, N.Y. / Stonybrook) and Delaney Ellis (Massillon, Ohio / Cleveland State). Sophia Avin (Chesapeake, Va.) checks in as the only freshman on the team.
The Buffalo roster holds 13 sophomores, the most of any MAC team. Coming back this season are sophomores Julia Telep, Ardyn Hopf, Miranda Zipp, Malena Toth, Ava Thelen, Genevieve Longsdorf, Bella Smithson and Emily Gorman. Reagan Terwilliger, Lily Lauck, Abbey Nagel, Olivia Russ and Emily Watters round out the upper classmen.
BY THE NUMBERS
- The Bulls return 90.6% of their innings pitched last season with Russ, Watters, Toth and Longsdorf returning.
- Buffalo has 69% of their at bats from 2025 returning.
- Terwilliger's five triples last season tied the program record for most triples in a single season.
- Nagel led the Bulls with 35 runs scored last season. This is tied for the fifth most in runs scored in a single season.
- Lauck has a career total of 74 walks, this is the third-most in program history. Last season, she broke the program record for walks in a single season with 37.
- Nagel is fifth in program history with 35 career doubles.
- Last season, the Bulls racked up 57 stolen bases. This was their most since they recorded 60 in 2017.
Buffalo vs. Maryland
SERIES: Maryland leads, 1-0
NOTES: The lone meeting between the Bulls and Terrapins came on March 18, 2017. Maryland took down Buffalo, 6-3.
GAME 2
Buffalo vs. CSU Bakersfield
SERIES: First meeting between programs
GAME 3
Buffalo vs. Boston U
SERIES: Buffalo leads, 3-2
NOTES: The Bulls defeated the Terriers, 1-0, on March 17, 2007. Last season, Boston U advanced to the NCAA tournament after winning the Patriot League Tournament. They fell to #3 Oklahoma in the opening round in the NCAA Tournament, 8-0, followed by a 3-1 loss to Omaha.
GAME 4
Buffalo vs. #19 Duke
SERIES: First meeting between programs
NOTES: The Bulls are 0-10 against nationally ranked programs. They played teams in the national rankings three times last season. They opened the season with a pair of games against #23 Oregon at the UNLV Desert Classic. Their last ranked opponent was #9 Georgia on Feb. 20th last season when the Bulls fell, 11-3.
GAME 5
Buffalo vs. UCF
SERIES: UCF leads, 1-0
NOTES: The lone meeting between the Knights and Bulls came on Feb. 17, 2013. The Knights beat the Bulls, 6-1.
For all the latest on UB Softball, follow @UBBullssoftball on Twitter/X, @ubbullssoftball on Instagram and like the UB Softball Facebook page.
Click here for information on the Bulls Championship Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
3B
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
P/3B
/ Softball
1B
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C/UTL
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF/UTL
/ Softball
1B/3B/OF
/ Softball
1B/P
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
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