Just one win separated the EvCC softball team from an NWAC title last spring. Now, 10 months after that defeat, the Trojans return with a new roster but the same goal: bring a championship home to Everett.

The Trojans reached the championship game last season with a record of 38-13 before falling to Lower Columbia, who finished their season 48-0. The run marked one of the program’s strongest finishes in recent years and raised expectations heading into the offseason.

When the 2026 season begins, the Trojans will look much different.

Head coach Randy Smith, now entering his 24th season leading the program, will lead a group with only two players returning from last year’s roster.

“We lost all of our pitchers, so we definitely had to go out and get some,” Smith said. “We’ve lost pretty much our whole infield.”

To fill the gaps, Smith and his staff put the required effort into increasing the team’s numbers and looked outside of the newly enrolled EvCC students.

“We went out and got a couple of transfers and the rest are freshmen,” he said. “It’s pretty much an all-new team.”

Even with so many new faces, Smith believes the team’s culture is still strong.

“The leaders are continuing to build on the culture that we have here in Everett and teaching them the Everett way,” Smith said.

One of Smith’s main goals for his team is to score early and often. “I think we attack the ball, we like to come out and score first, continue to stay on the gas and not just work hard but win every inning.”

Beyond wins and early leads, Smith has another priority.

“I think the big thing this year with all new players is that a lot of them are learning how to play college ball,” he said. “It’d be a win-win if we all have fun, get to know each other and have a great season.”

Among the newcomers is freshman pitcher McKenna McNutt, an Arizona native bringing resilience and leadership to the mound.

“I’m from Gilbert, Arizona,” she said. “I tried a lot of other sports, and I just liked softball the best, so I stuck with it.”

Her journey hasn’t been easy. McNutt has battled significant injuries, including multiple knee surgeries.

“At the time, it was really frustrating,” she said. “But overall, they’ve definitely made me not just a better athlete, but a better person. They’ve taught me life lessons, and I’m glad I went through them.”

Now that she’s healthy, she’s focusing on contributing both physically and mentally.

“I want to step up and be more of a leader,” McNutt said. “Getting back into it from surgery, I just want to get back to throwing all my pitchers well and being there for my team.”

McNutt understands that playing college softball is a mental game, so she has to stay ready game after game.”

“It’s different playing at the college level,” she said. “You’re going to play so many games — you just need to move on to your next at-bat or the next game. You can’t hold your head.”

One of the two returning players from last year, Amanda Webb, an outfielder who believes last year’s underdog mentality helped fuel their success, and it’s something that she hopes to carry into her final season.

“I don’t think anyone was expecting us to go as far as we did,” Webb said. “When we were playing the top team, we had already beaten out really good teams.”

“You have to be expecting anything. If you’re an underdog, I think having the expectation before you come into a game that it’s your ball game,” she said. “You’re not just playing the team you’re playing, you’re playing yourself and your mindset. How you come into that game definitely affects how you play.”

For Webb, growing came not just from wins, but from adversity as well.

“It made me want to work harder on things that I can control, my at-bats, my mentality, the pitch count,” she said. “It made me grow into a leadership role a lot quicker than I would’ve actually expected by myself.”

Now, as one of the veterans on a young roster, Webb has embraced guiding newcomers through the transition to the college level.

“I’m trying to help them get used to playing college ball,” she said. “Bringing that new energy to the team, bringing a new mindset, bringing who they are as a person is such an important thing.”

She emphasizes connection as much as competition.

“I think having a great time with the girls is one of the most important things in general. Creating really good memories with people and having that connection on the field, knowing we have each other’s backs no matter the outcome.”

For Smith, that mindset is exactly what this team needs. A young roster will make mistakes, and growing pains early in the season are typical. “A lot more teaching and fundamentals, we’ve kind of had to get to how we do things at Everett,” Smith said. “We’re molding what they already do well and working on the things they don’t do as well.”

But he believes the group’s work ethic and attitude will decide how far they go.

The faces may be new, but the goal is not. After coming one win short last spring, the Trojans are ready for another shot at a title.