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Big South Conference Unveils 2026 Preseason Softball Poll and Awards

The Big South Conference had three teams earn at least one first-place vote in the 2026 preseason poll.
Charles Mays|
Radford softball's Dakota Redmon was voted the Big South Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Radford softball's Dakota Redmon was voted the Big South Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year | Radford Athletics

With the season just days away, teams across the country either have motivation to prove voters wrong or a great expectation to live up to.

Recently, the Big South Conference announced its 2026 preseason softball poll and awards.

Last year's regular-season champion, the Radford Highlanders, took the top spot, with the USC Upstate Spartans and the Longwood Lancers following as the only three with first-place votes.

Radford returns from a 30-26 season and a 14-4 record in the Big South and is led by five players that made the Preseason All-Conference Team, including Preseason Pitcher of the Year Dakota Redmon. Redmon recorded a 2.37 ERA and 132 strikeouts with a 16-11 record in 34 appearances as a freshman in 2025.

The USC Upstate Spartans are the two-time defending Big South Conference Tournament Champions. Last season's 39-16 run ended in the NCAA Regional at Clemson. While they lost a great pitcher in Sierra Maness to Clemson through the transfer portal, the Spartans are still loaded with talent such as Preseason Player of the Year outfielder Taliyah Thomas and pitcher Maddie Drerup, who went 14-3 last season.

2026 Big South Softball Preseason Poll

  1. Radford (5) - 47 points
  2. USC Upstate (1) - 41 points
  3. Longwood (1) - 30 points
  4. Winthrop - 29 points
  5. Charleston Southern - 23 points
  6. Gardner-Webb - 14 points
  7. Presbyterian College - 12 points

The Big South Preseason All-Conference Team included 16 players on the list. USC Upstate and Radford boast the most with five players each, and as mentioned above, that includes USC Upstate's Thomas as Preseason Player of the Year and Radford's Redmon as Preseason Pitcher of the Year.

Keep an eye out for Gardner-Webb's Alli Stidham. Stidham is a two-way player who provided depth in the bullpen last season with a 6-5 record and 90.2 innings pitched, but really saw her production at the plate speak more. She hit .280 with three home runs, seven doubles, 25 RBIs, and 16 runs scored across 82 at-bats.

Tia Beckham is the lone representative from Winthrop and was voted Big South Newcomer of the Year in 2025 after transferring in from NC State. Beckham brings great power to the plate. Last season, she hit .279 with 10 home runs, 12 doubles, 40 RBIs, and finished with a .578 slugging percentage. The Greenville, S.C., native looks to have a major season for the Eagles.

2026 Preseason All-Conference Team

OF Taliyah Thomas (USC Upstate)
OF Sophia Kardatzke (USC Upstate)
OF Tia Beckham (Winthrop)
OF Jordyn Dimond (Charleston Southern)
INF Abby Polk (USC Upstate)
INF Carson Shaw (USC Upstate)
INF Sophia Knock (Longwood)
INF Charlee Yourman (Charleston Southern)
INF Amanda Lee (Radford)
C Kelley Feigen (Radford)
DP Alli Stidham (Gardner-Webb)
UTL Grace Bechtol (Radford)
P Dakota Redmon (Radford)
P Maddie Drerup (USC Upstate)
P Maggie Chapin (Longwood)
P Morgan Cooper (Radford)

Preseason Player of the Year: Taliyah Thomas (USC Upstate)

Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Dakota Redmon (Radford)

This season's Big South Conference play will ramp up the weekend of March 13-15, with the championship taking place May 6-9 in a five-team double-elimination tournament that will be hosted by USC Upstate in Spartanburg, S.C.

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Charles Mays
CHARLES MAYS

Charles Mays is the owner of Mays SportsWire, LLC. Raised in Ridgely, Tenn., he currently resides in Knoxville, Tenn. He began his media career with Tomahawk Nation, part of SB Nation, where he covered Florida State athletics and also covered Clemson. In June of 2025, Mays launched Fastpitch Wire Softball to provide consistent coverage of the game at every level, an outlet that has consistently grown since its launch.

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