The University of North Georgia (UNG) softball team lost both games it played in the NCAA Division II championship, falling 7-4 in eight innings against Saginaw Valley State on May 22 and 3-0 against Western Washington on May 24.

It was a season of many highlights, as the 48-16 Nighthawks earned an 11th consecutive Peach Belt Conference regular-season title, won their NCAA Southeast Regional pod and then went on the road to stun No. 2 Francis Marion in a Super Regional. UNG secured its fourth regional title and eight-team national championship appearance in five seasons.

In head coach Brooke O'Hair's first season, the Nighthawks had one of their most prolific offensive seasons in program history. 

The team's 83 home runs and .579 slugging percentage are far and away the best power marks for a single season in program history. In the program's 29-year varsity history, the 2025 Nighthawks also sit second for single-season totals in RBIs (448), runs scored (489) and triples (28) while ranking third in on-base percentage (.421), at bats (1,789), hits (612) and doubles (118). 

UNG also showed record-setting discipline at the plate this year, recording the fourth-most walks (205) in a season and the second-fewest strikeouts (173) in the NCAA era in program history. 

"Some of the main things I wanted to see were people stepping up and making a name for themselves, becoming a family and having a culture where people love each other and care for each other. If you look back at previous seasons compared to this season, you see all new names. What a job they did, individually and as a team," O'Hair said. 

Individually, UNG's season was highlighted by four All-American selections, three all-region honorees and five all-conference selections, including PBC Freshman of the Year Carleigh Knowles.

Knowles had one of the best single seasons in program history, batting .384 with a staggering .803 slugging percentage, which is the third-highest in a year in program history. She smashed a program-record 21 home runs while batting in the third-most runners in a single season in program history with 70 RBIs. 

The rookie racked up some of the most impressive individual accolades in program history this season, earning First Team All-Region honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA). She also became just the eighth player in program history to earn First Team All-American honors from the NFCA and D2CCA in the same season. As an NFCA First Team All-American catcher, Knowles also earned the distinction of the Diamond Sports/NFCA 2025 Catcher of the Year, becoming the first player in program history to win the award.

The rookie also made history this season as her 159 total bases are the second-most in a year ever, trailing only her teammate Sydnee Reaves' 161 total bases this season. 

Reaves, a junior transfer from Montevallo recruited to Dahlonega by O'Hair, made immediate waves this year. The D2CCA All-American set program records with the most runs scored (72), most doubles (24), tied for second-most hits (92), second-most at bats (230) and second-most stolen bases (24) in a single year in school history.