The Salisbury softball roster seemed to be missing something coming into the 2026 season.

There were no seniors listed among the 11 players on the roster, but it was not a misprint.

The Falcons were a young team but had made big strides during the previous season under first-year head coach Brian Fehnel.

The biggest addition to the team this season was a sense of confidence. Coming into last season, the team had gone 1-47 in Colonial League games before winning five league games in 2025. Even with a young roster, that number jumped to nine league wins in 2026.

The confidence showed in a number of ways and continued to build as the 2026 season progressed.

The highlight of the season came in mid-April when the 5-5 Falcons went up against the undefeated Palmerton Blue Bombers. Salisbury came away with a win in that game and a week later defeated Notre Dame of Green Pond, who were 10-3 at the time.

The team that came up short of reaching the postseason in 2025 went 11-9 overall and 9-8 in games against Colonial League teams in 2026.

The Falcons also made the league playoffs for the first time since 2018 and made districts for the first time since 2021.

Gianna Olds, who hit .424 as a freshman built on that this past season when she hit .444, while rising sophomore Julia Carney also hit .444 for the Falcons. Rising senior Tessa Kemmerer gave Salisbury three hitters over the .400 mark and finished with a .409 average and provided some power in the lineup with three home runs. Jenna Swoyer led the team in RBI with 24 and also showed some pop with two home runs while batting .333. As a team, the Falcons hit .328 this past season.

Kemmerer handled most of the pitching, but Swoyer also played a significant role. Kemmerer had a 3.81 ERA and Swoyer posted a 4.14 ERA, giving the team a combined 3.94 ERA in 2026.

Thanks to the opportunities that younger players have had over the past couple of seasons, next year’s team will have plenty of experience.

With many of the players competing in club or tournament softball over the summer, they will also have more experience.

With just 11 players, there were times late in the season when absences left just nine players for games.

Low numbers have been an issue throughout the Lehigh Valley with more sports and activities battling for attention from student-athletes.