ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- Confidence isn't just building for the College of Saint Benedict softball team — it's embedded in a program where recent success and a tradition of excellence continue to fuel the standard.

As CSB enters its 51st season of competition, it does so on the heels of a 26-14 record and a 17-5 MIAC mark, which included 26 wins or more for the eighth straight year along with 20 wins or more for the 26th time  in program history.

"This group has a ton of returners, and so there's a lot of chemistry already working into the new season," said 14th-year head coach Rachael Click, who recorded her 300th career win in 2025 and now has 323 in her career at CSB with 176 victories in MIAC Play. "They are pretty motivated to build off of our last year's success, so it is like we hit the ground running."

That chemistry — blended with experienced senior leadership — has the Bennies locked in from the outset. Every game matters, conference or not.

CSB opens Saturday with a nonconference doubleheader against UW-Stout (1-1) at the St. Cloud Dome (2/4 p.m.). The Bennies then travel to UW-Eau Claire on Feb. 28 before competing March 6-8 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. A trip to the Portland Games follows March 17-19. MIAC play begins April 1 at home against Bethel, launching a 22-game conference slate that culminates with the MIAC Playoffs in early May. (Click here for schedule)

Established in 1975, the Bennies carry 844 wins (based on available records) and 526 conference victories into the 2026 campaign. They return eight starters, three pitchers and six All-MIAC honorees — including three all-region standouts.

Bennies return six All-MIAC standouts
Leading the charge are seniors Cat Smetana (Lake Elmo, Minn.) , Olivia Tautges (Brainerd, Minn.) and Bryn Ruhberg (Lino Lakes, Minn.), each earning All-Region honors last season. Smetana and Tautges collected their second career all-region recognition.

Smetana hit .380 (9th in the MIAC) with a .562 slugging percentage and a .969 OPS, while driving in 40 runs (3rd in the MIAC) and tallying 13 doubles. Smetana, who has earned All-MIAC honors twice and was College Sports Communicators Academic All-District, has 29 multi-hit games in her career, where she is hitting .367 in 106 games with six homers, .68 RBI, .540 slugging mark with a .404 on-base percentage. She also has a stellar .993 fielding mark.

Tautges, a senior shortstop and 2024 NFCA All-American, added to her résumé as a two-time All-MIAC honoree. She batted .389 (9th in the MIAC), slugged .603 (8th), and posted a 1.027 OPS (8th). Tautges totaled three home runs, five triples (1st in the MIAC), and 27 RBI. She enters her final season with 19 career home runs—third all-time at CSB—along with 76 RBI and a .384 career average  (10th all-time at CSB) in 95 games. She has a .433 on-base percentage (9th all-time at CSB) and .683 slugging mark (2nd all-time at CSB).

Ruhberg also turned in a breakout campaign during 2025, hitting .383 (8th in the MIAC) with a .670 slugging percentage and a .504 on-base percentage for a 1.174 OPS. She added five home runs and 35 RBI, ranking fifth in the conference. In 97 career games, she is hitting .324 with 81 hits, .468 slugging mark, .431 on-base percentage, and has 54 RBI.

The Bennies also welcome back MIAC Rookie of the Year Lily Treml (Shakopee, Minn.), who hit .357 with nine doubles, three triples, and a .997 OPS. Other returners include centerfielder Olivia Van Hout (Mahtomedi, Minn.), who hit .350 with an .872 OPS in 2025. She was successful on 24-of-27 steals for 88.8 percent and ranks fourth all-time at CSB with 52 career steals at a 82.5 success rate. Izzy Radel (Owatonna, Minn.) finished her first-year with .256 average, and two triples.

Depth in the Circle
In the circle, CSB returns two All-MIAC pitchers, and three who saw significant action a year ago.

Senior Ellie Peterson (St. Anthony Village, Minn.), a three-time All-MIAC honoree, compiled a 12-7 record with 13 complete games, three shutouts, and 73 strikeouts. She ranks sixth in program history with 40 career wins and has a 2.88 ERA with 70 appearances (7th all-time at CSB), 36 complete games (8th all-time at CSB) and nine shutouts along with 256 strikeouts.

Senior Olivia Wallace (Maple Grove, Minn.) returns after an All-MIAC season in which she went 11-5 with a 2.16 ERA and eight complete games. Wallace, who was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team, has 16 career wins, 16 complete games, 56 appearances and a 2.97 ERA. CSB also returns sophomore Anna Corbid, who was 2-2 in 10 appearances.

"Having six of seven All-MIAC returners here, it sets very high expectations for us," said Wallace. "But also we know that nothing is given to us. Every day we go in with intention — taking it one game at a time."

Senior Standard
Peterson is one of nine seniors on the roster — a group that understands both the opportunity and responsibility that comes with experience.

"We know what everyone is capable of and that makes it really exciting and promising," Peterson said. "We've all stepped into leadership roles on our team, and now we're all playing a bigger part than we did maybe as freshmen. Now we're the ones with the younger players and we are having to lead by example and show them how we want to play as a program and represent ourselves."

Senior infielder Sammy Muetzel (Woodbury, Minn.), who has 50 hits and 31 RBI in 78 career games, believes last season's lessons will sharpen the team's edge this spring.

"We kind of learned how to handle pressure and play in those high-pressure situations," Muetzel said. "We also learned that we need to take every single conference game just as seriously as the rest, and just attack every game like we are playing in that MIAC Championship. Because every conference game matters in the end."

The pieces are in place — experience, production and belief — as CSB embarks on a 39-game schedule. The chemistry is evident. The expectations are high. And for the Bennies, the standard remains the same.