NA7IVE NA7IONS NATIONAL SOFTBALL TEAM 14U
2026 BABE RUTH WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS
In Babe Ruth League’s 75th anniversary year, the first all-Native American softball team to compete at the Babe Ruth Softball World Series entered the tournament and won the 2026 14U championship.
75 YEARS OF HISTORY. A FIRST APPEARANCE. A CHAMPIONSHIP.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP STORY
FROM STRANGERS TO FRIENDS TO CHAMPIONS
The journey began at the Na7ive Na7ions National Softball Tournament in Prescott, Arizona. Athletes arrived to compete for more than a tournament championship—they were also competing for the opportunity to be evaluated and considered for the first Na7ive Na7ions Girls National Softball Team.
From that tournament, athletes representing multiple Tribal Nations were selected to continue the journey to the Babe Ruth Softball World Series in Florence, Alabama. They brought different experiences, personalities, and playing backgrounds, and many were meeting one another as teammates for the first time.
They learned to communicate, trust one another, compete together, and carry the responsibility of representing more than themselves. Through pool play, bracket competition, pressure, heat, and the demands of the World Series, they continued growing stronger as one team.
What began in Prescott as an opportunity to be seen became a historic first appearance, a World Series championship, and a visible example of what Native athletes can accomplish when access, preparation, representation, and opportunity come together.
MEET THE CHAMPIONS
THE 2026 NATIONAL SOFTBALL TEAM
11 ATHLETES-MANY TRIBAL NATIONS
ONE CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM.
The first Na7ive Na7ions Girls National Softball Team was supported by a coaching staff that brought high-level playing experience, technical instruction, leadership, performance nutrition, athlete preparation, accountability, and belief in what these athletes could accomplish together.
ELLIE BARTON NAVAJO NATION
ALL DEFENSE TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP GAME MVP
LACEY PARRISH NAVAJO NATION
ALL WORLD TEAM ALL DEFENSE TEAM GAME MVP
MYLAH MANUELITO NAVAJO NATION
ALL WORLD TEAM GAME MVP
Tylola Tsosie NAVAJO NATION
KALLIAM WALER YAZZIE WHITE MOUNTAIN APACHE
ALL DEFENSE TEAM
HANNAH PEWEWARDY COMANCHE NATION
OLIVIA RIOS NAVAJO NATION
GAME MVP
AVERI AUSTIN COMANCHE NATION
ALL WORLD TEAM GAME MVP
NAOMI ANTON
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Oneida, Shawnee, Otoe and Cherokee
Miryea Carpio Gila River
ALL WORLD TEAM ALL DEFENSE TEAM BABE RUTH MVP/3X GAME MVP
ALYSSA BLACKHAT NAVAJO NATION
ALL DEFENSE TEAM GAME MVP
COACHING STAFF
HEAD COACH
NICHOLA POUAKA GREGO
ASSISTANT COACH
D.J. CARRASCO AND CO FOUNDER
ASSISTANT COACH
CHRIS SUMMERS
AUTUMN LOPEZ
NUTRITION COACH
MORE THAN A CHAMPIONSHIP
This championship created visibility far beyond a final score. It showed Native girls that they belong on national and international stages and demonstrated what becomes possible when athletes are given access, preparation, representation, and the opportunity to compete together.
The 2026 team established a foundation for future Na7ive Na7ions softball opportunities—including additional youth divisions, select teams, National Teams, and the continued development of pathways for older athletes and a future Women’s National Team. Their achievement is now part of a larger national movement designed to ensure that the next generation does not have to wait another 75 years to be seen.
THEY DID NOT JUST WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP. THEY OPENED THE DOOR WIDER FOR THE NEXT GENERATION.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP WAS HISTORY. THE PATHWAY CONTINUES.
Discover the Na7ive Na7ions National Softball Team and learn how athletes can enter a growing pathway that includes tournaments, showcases and evaluations, Select Teams, and National Teams creating opportunities for development, competition, representation, and advancement onto national and international stages.