Reese Cottrell

College Softball Program of the Day #017: Temple College Leopards 58 wins. 529 runs. The best fielding percentage in the country. Temple College came into 2026 ranked No. 22 and left Oxford, Alabama, one game away from a national title. 2027 and 2028 players, if you want to see what elite JUCO softball looks like, start in Temple, Texas. The 2026 season by the numbers: - 58-8 overall - NJCAA Division I national runner-up - NTJCAC and Region 5 North regular-season champions - Southwest District B champions - 5-2 at the NJCAA World Series - Led the nation with just 33 errors in 66 games and a .978 fielding percentage The offense hit .378 as a team with a .448 on-base percentage, 138 doubles, 35 triples and 62 home runs, and scored 529 runs. The run in Oxford showed what this team is made of. Reese Cottrell walked off Southern Idaho 4-3 in the opener. After a 12-2 loss to top-seeded Florida SouthWestern, the Leopards had to win out from the elimination bracket. They beat Santa Fe 7-1, Paris 15-4, then turned around and beat Florida SouthWestern 4-1 to reach the championship game. The stars: freshman Izzy Garcia went 29-2 with a 2.17 ERA and 175 strikeouts in 170.2 innings, held hitters to a .180 average, and hit .404 at the plate. She was an NFCA First Team All-American. Sophomore Reese Cottrell hit .436 with a .521 on-base percentage, 13 homers and 77 RBI, then went 9-2 with a 2.20 ERA out of the bullpen on her way to NFCA Second Team All-American. Shortstop Jasmine Benavidez hit .425 with 68 RBI and won the NFCA Rawlings Gold Glove. Freshman catcher Kaiyah Ratu hit .381 with 19 home runs and 61 RBI and has since signed with Florida State. Head coach Kadie Berlin-George played at Pratt Community College and Ottawa University, coached at Pratt and Southwestern Oklahoma State, and spent six seasons as head coach at Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa before taking over at Temple. In 2026 she was named NFCA Midwest Region, Southwest District B and Region 5 North Coach of the Year, and her team also had 12 NFCA Academic All-Americans. The staff around her: longtime assistant Maurice Zaleski, who was part of the staff that won the 2018 NJCAA Division I national championship, and assistant Rhein Carmichael, a former Waco Midway and Illinois standout who works with the outfield, slappers and defense after coaching at McLennan. @SoftballTemple @TC_Athletics1 @NJCAASoftball National Softball Recruiting | @NatlSBRecruit 2027 and 2028 players and parents, DM us "INFO" and we'll help you build a real list of schools and a plan to get seen.