Strong showing for host Durham Lords at Softball National Championship

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Durham College (DC) proudly played host to the 2026 Canadian Collegiate Softball Association (CCSA) National Championship.

The best collegiate women’s softball players in Canada travelled to our Oshawa campus, where they spent three days battling for national supremacy. Competition was fierce, with 14 of 19 games being decided by three runs or less.

Our Lords opened the tournament with a 2-0 shutout victory over Laurier and a 3-1 win over Calgary before dropping their final round-robin matchup 6-2 to Humber.

They bested Western 5-2 in the quarterfinal round, punching their ticket to the semifinals. There, they lost a tight 3-0 game to the eventual gold medalists, St. Clair, sending them to the bronze medal game where they fell 3-1 to Laurier, finishing in fourth place.

“Making it to the final day and competing for a medal was a good showing for our team,” said Scott Dennis, Athletic Director.

Chelsea Oke was named to the championship all-star team thanks to her standout efforts both on the mound and at the plate.

“She had a phenomenal pitching performance in the first game, and she had a big home run in the quarterfinals against Western. It was a great weekend for her,” said Dennis of the two-sport athlete who also competes on DC’s women’s volleyball team.

Now in her fourth season with the Lords, the veteran Oke was thrilled to take on the best teams in Canada right here at home.

“It was an incredible opportunity to compete at the highest level in front of my family and friends! Being able to celebrate both the wins and the losses with them made the experience that much more special,” she said. “The event exceeded all my expectations, and as a player, it was so much fun to be a part of.”

DC always excels as a host, and this event was no different, from the opening banquet at the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food to the game action at both Babcock Field and Vaso’s Field, which was temporarily reconfigured for softball.

“We got a ton of feedback that it was a phenomenal event,” said Dennis. “We try to go above and beyond, and we wanted to make sure it felt like a national championship. From the fan support to the community getting involved, it was a big success.”

The Lords also finished fourth at nationals in Calgary last year, after winning their first CCSA championship in 2024. They remain the most decorated team in Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) history with 22 provincial championships. They’ll have a chance to add to that tally later this month at this year’s tournament in Windsor.