The Butler Lady Bears are building something—and it’s not just a team.

Lady Bears Softball, under Head Coach Mandy Grainger Cox, hasn’t just been building single-season teams. They’ve been creating a culture. Mandy and the Lady Bears are building a program that Butler can be proud of.

Over the past few years, Butler has begun hosting an annual alumni softball game to kick off the season. This event has grown each year and has become a way to build community, pride, and an overall love for the game of softball in Butler.

This past week, the 2026 Lady Bears took on the Old Bears. When talking about what this game meant to the program, the school, and the town, Coach Mandy said, “The game is something bigger than all of us, and it is always an honor to take the field with those who came before us.”

And the Bears looked good.

While it was fun to see some of the Old Bears come out of retirement, the story was the 2026 team and the promise they showcased.

Kylee Dubray took to the circle for just the first inning, but she showed she is poised to have another dominant season in her junior year. She pitched with as much accuracy, control, and velocity as ever.

The evening also saw Taylor Hudson and several other Bears toe the rubber. The pitching looked consistent and exciting.

While the defense looked up to par, the offense of the Bears was even more impressive. From top to bottom, this team has hitters. They have power, they have placement hitters, and they have speed on the bases. The Bears could be a problem for a lot of teams this year.

If the Butler Lady Bears remain consistent this season, they could have a heck of a year. And that’s no surprise — not with the program and culture that has been built over the past few years in Butler.

As for the alumni game, the current Bears beat the Old Bears 13-7. The current team jumped out to a dominant lead early, and as the game progressed, the 2026 team began moving players around to give them opportunities to learn and develop. The Old Bears took advantage of their chances late and were able to put together a respectable scoring

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Photos by Erin Dubray