LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Coming off a run to its first national championship, Saint Leo University was voted by its peers as the 2026 ATEC/NFCA Division II National Coaching Staff of the Year, the Association announced on Monday afternoon. This marks the first time on program history that a coaching staff earned this recognition.

The Lions (54-3-1), under the direction of head coach Erin Kinberger and assistants Pat Affrunti, Lexi Carver and Zack Carver,  were a perfect 10-0 during their postseason run and finished with the fewest losses by a NCAA DII softball national champion. Saint Leo ended its season on an 11-game win streak, and won 49 of their last 50 games, posting a school-record 54 victories and 38-game win streak.

As the No. 1 seed in Chattanooga, the Lions scored early and held on for wins against St. Thomas Aquinas and Cal State San Marcos, before rallying to defeat West Texas A&M, 5-4, in 10 innings in the semifinals. In the Championship Series against McKendree, the Green & Gold scored 11 unanswered runs in a 15-4 game-one win and topped the Bearcats, 5-2, to claim the title.

Hosting the South Regional I, a pair 1-0 victories over Spring Hill and Tampa sandwiched around a 6-1 triumph versus Auburn University at Montgomery moved the Lions onto Super Regional where they trumped University of Alabama in Huntsville 6-3 and 13-1. Those five victories capped off an undefeated home record of 29-0-1, winning their final 28 home contests at Mary Cannon Cabot Stadium. The Lions also captured their first Sunshine State Conference crown in nearly a decade, sporting a nearly perfect league record of 29-1.

A representative of the South Region, Saint Leo was joined by Glenville State University (Atlantic), Missouri Southern State University (Central), St. Thomas Aquinas College (East), University of Indianapolis (Midwest), Oklahoma Christian University (South Central), University of North Georgia (Southeast) and California State University San Marcos (West) - as NCAA DII Regional Coaching Staff of the Year recipients.

* The NFCA contributed to this release