The Rye Varsity Softball team made huge strides in 2025, and will have to try to do that again in 2026 in the face of a promotion to Class AA. They finished 8-5-1 in their final 14 games, including a near-upset of #2 Ardsley in the postseason. That momentum gives both players and fans not only hope, but expectation, for the 2026 campaign.
“We have a lot of returning starters from last season, and I believe the experience they gained last season will help us this season,” Head Coach Alex Tejera told MyRye.com before the year began. “We have great senior leadership and we will lean on them to help us navigate the ups and downs of the season.”
Two of those seniors are longtime staples on the diamond, Tessa Labowitz and Ava Rollano. Labowitz has been a starter since eighth grade, and Rollano since ninth. Together, they bring a wealth of talent and experience to a Rye team which only had one senior in 2025.
“They were both captains last year and did a terrific job,” Tejera said of the duo. ” Both Tessa and Ava are great leaders on and off the field. They are both very well liked by their teammates and are a pleasure to coach.”
With the jump to Class AA comes new league opponents for 2026. The Garnets will play Harrison, Pelham, Eastchester, and Ursuline twice, once at home at their new field and once on the road. With their first game of the year, scheduled for March 23, cancelled, they will jump right into the fire with league play starting on April 7. This will come on the heels of their team trip to Orlando, which is where the Garnets currently are.
“The team always looks forward to our trip to Florida,” Tejera told MyRye.com. “It allows us to bond as a team and play a few scrimmages in warmer weather… It is always a very memorable trip and something that the players will remember for the rest of their lives.”
After the tune-up at Disney, Rye returns home to get league play started. Their schedule consists of the eight league games, plus eleven non-league contests against other local foes. Their home opener is set for April 13 against Albertus Magnus.
“We have a great group of girls that work hard for each other and enjoy playing together,” Tejera, entering his 21st season as head coach, concluded. “We have some great returning players and exciting new comers that add to the team structure.”
