GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Pitchers
Camryn Lasota and
Unity Nelson from the North Dakota softball team were named Summit League Players to Watch, announced by the league on Wednesday morning. Lasota was named the Hawks player to watch while Nelson was named the pitcher to watch.
Lasota returns to Grand Forks, fresh off a junior campaign in which she slashed a .296 batting average, along with a team-high eight home runs last season, across 115 at-bats and 48 games. The Wauwatosa, Wis. native drove in 32 RBIs, tallying a .385 on base percentage and a team-best .574 slugging percentage. The senior had 10 multi-hit games last season.
In the circle, Lasota made seven appearances, garnering one start. She recorded a 1-0 record, totaling a save against Buffalo on Feb. 28, 2025. She struck out seven batters in 12.1 innings pitched on the season.
Nelson returns to North Dakota as the Hawks most prominent arm from a season ago. The sophomore had a 6-3 record with a 3.55 ERA across 71.0 innings pitched in 2025.
A native of Tecumseh, Mich., Nelson struck out 53 batters, recording a career-high eight strikeouts on March 11, 2025, against Tennessee Tech in 4.1 innings. The sophomore went at least 5.0 innings in five of her appearances as a freshman.
North Dakota was picked to finish fifth in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll. UND opens the season in Hawai'i in the Paradise Classic on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. against Pacific.
Below are the full preseason rankings and list of Summit League Players to Watch.
2026 Summit League Softball Pitchers/Players To Watch
Kansas City: Delilah Robles (Pitcher), Lauren Parker (Player)
North Dakota: Unity Nelson (Pitcher), Camryn Lasota (Player)
North Dakota State: Piper Reed (Pitcher), Bella Dean (Player)
Omaha: Maddia Groff (Pitcher), Taylor Sedlacek (Player)
St. Thomas: Ava Kleinfeldt (Pitcher), Laken Lienhard (Player)
South Dakota: Peyton Paulson (Pitcher), Delaney White (Player)
South Dakota State: Akayla Barnard (Pitcher), Abby Gentry (Player)
| 2026 Summit League Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| Rank |
School |
Points (1st) |
2025 Record (SL) |
| 1. |
Omaha |
35 (5) |
40-13 (14-4) |
| 2. |
St. Thomas |
32 (2) |
33-17 (14-4) |
| 3. |
South Dakota State |
25 |
29-26 (13-5) |
| 4. |
South Dakota |
20 |
32-24 (8-10) |
| 5. |
North Dakota |
16 |
26-30 (7-11) |
| 6. |
North Dakota State |
13 |
19-31 (6-12) |
| 7. |
Kansas City |
6 |
5-43 (1-17) |
For more information on North Dakota Softball, follow on social media @UNDsoftball or visit FightingHawks.com.
