Durham Lords softball finished fourth at the 2026 Canadian Collegiate Softball Association National Championship after Durham College hosted the three-day tournament at its Oshawa campus.
The Lords won their first two round-robin games, defeating Laurier 2-0 and Calgary 3-1. A 6-2 loss to Humber closed their preliminary schedule, but Durham advanced to the playoff round.
Durham then defeated Western 5-2 in the quarterfinal to secure a place in the final four. The Lords lost 3-0 to eventual champion St. Clair in the semifinal before Laurier won the bronze-medal game 3-1, leaving Durham in fourth place.
Chelsea Oke earns all-star recognition
Veteran Durham player Chelsea Oke was named to the championship all-star team for her work as both a pitcher and hitter. Durham College highlighted her shutout pitching performance in the opening win and her home run against Western in the quarterfinal.
Oke is in her fourth season with the Lords and also competes on Durham College’s women’s volleyball team. The Oshawa tournament gave her an opportunity to play a national event in front of family, friends and local supporters.
The result matched Durham’s fourth-place finish at the 2025 national tournament in Calgary. The program entered this year’s event with a strong history: the Lords won their first CCSA national title in 2024 and have collected 22 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association provincial championships.
Oshawa campus hosts national field
Durham College staged the games at Babcock Field and Vaso’s Field. Vaso’s Field was temporarily reconfigured for softball, while the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food hosted the opening banquet.
Fourteen of the tournament’s 19 games were decided by three runs or fewer, according to Durham College. The close results included each of Durham’s two medal-round losses.
The college credited campus staff, volunteers, spectators and community participation with supporting the event. Hosting also placed national collegiate softball competition directly on the Oshawa campus over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Provincial championship comes next
The national tournament did not end the Lords’ fall schedule. Durham will next pursue another provincial title at the OCAA championship in Windsor later in October.
The fourth-place national finish gives the team two wins over playoff-bound opponents and a quarterfinal victory to carry into provincial competition. It also marks the second consecutive season in which Durham reached the last day of the national championship.
For Durham Lords softball, the Oshawa event combined a top-four national result, an individual all-star selection and the experience of hosting the country’s leading collegiate teams at home.
