LOUISVILLE, Ky. – NJCAA national champions Northeast Alabama Community College, Pearl River Community College and North Dakota State College of Science were recognized by their peers as the 2026 ATEC/NFCA NJCAA National Coaching Staffs of the Year for Divisions I, II & III.
Head coach Joe Guthrie and assistants Courtnay Foster and Jimmy Kolaitis steered NACC to its first NJCAA DI national title in just the program’s second year of collegiate softball. The Mustangs (56-4), who earned a first-round bye as the NJCAA DII Softball World Series’ No. 3 seed, was a perfect 5-0 in their run to the title with wins over No. 14 Gaston College, No. 6 Odessa College, No. 7 Paris Junior College, No. 1 Florida SouthWestern State College and No. 4 Temple College. On top of that, NACC also swept through the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) tournament title (3-0) to earn the World Series bid and captured the regular-season crown with a 29-3 mark. Under the staff’s direction, NACC improved dramatically going from 17 wins in its first season of competition to 56 and a national title in year two.
Pearl River, under the direction of head coach Christie Meeks, associate head coach Katelyn Gruich and assistant coach Tyler Dobson, guided the Wildcats (48-7) to the program’s first NJCAA Division II national title. Not only was it Pearl River’s first title it was also the Wildcat’s first-ever trip to the NJCAA DII Softball World Series. As the No. 5 seed, PRCC completed a perfect run through the bracket, which culminated with a 2-1 win over No. 9 Des Moines Area Community College. Leading up to the championship game, Pearl River knocked off No. 12 Johnson County, No. 4 Rock Valley, No. 1 Kirkwood and No. 2 Murray State.
Coming off its third NJCAA DIII national title in four seasons, head coach Mike Oehlke, along with assistants Matt Fellows and Shai Pachel, steered North Dakota SCS to its third consecutive 50-win season (55-8), matching the program record set in 2024, a sixth-straight appearance at the World Series and a sixth consecutive Region XIII crown. As the No. 1 overall seed, NDSCS posted a 4-1 record, knocking off Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, 15-3 in a winner-take-all championship contest after suffering a defeat to the Cobras in the first championship matchup. Prior to that, the Wildcats also collected wins over Erie Community College, Corning Community College and CCC&TI.
Regional (respective region only) and National Coaching Staffs of the Year are voted on by active member head coaches.
All three coaching staffs will be recognized at the NFCA Convention’s Awards Brunch on Dec. 12 in Atlantic City, N.J.
The NFCA is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded awards program, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to and extensive drills database, to in-person events and National Convention.
