Softball On SI

CUSA Reveals Softball Preseason Poll, All-Conference Selections

The Liberty Flames are favored to repeat as Conference USA champions for a second consecutive season
Maddy Lewis|
Liberty Softball takes down No. 1 Texas A&M to move on to Super Regionals in 2025
Liberty Softball takes down No. 1 Texas A&M to move on to Super Regionals in 2025 | Liberty Athletics

Liberty Softball was selected as the 2026 preseason front-runner for Conference USA as voted on by the league's 12 head coaches, announced Thursday.

The Lady Flames are back-to-back reigning CUSA regular season and tournament champions, plus had a league-best four athletes named to the preseason all-conference team.

2026 CUSA Softball Preseason Poll

1. Liberty
2. LA Tech
3. Jacksonville State
4. Western Kentucky (WKU)
5. Sam Houston
6. Delaware
7. Florida International (FIU)
8. New Mexico State (NMS)
9. Middle Tennessee State (MTSU)
10. Missouri State
11. Texas at El Paso (UTEPP
12. Kennesaw State

2026 CUSA Softball Preseason All-Conference Team

Fifteen players were picked as preseason standouts, including two catchers, five infielders, four outfielders, three pitchers, and one designated/utility player. 12 of the honorees were named All-CUSA at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign, eight garnering First Team. Except for two athletes, all are considered upperclassmen.

Liberty Lady Flames (4)

The four Lady Flames selected were part of Liberty's 50-win season and historical Super Regional run last year. Headlined by 2025 CUSA Newcomer of the Year redshirt senior Savanah Whatley (IF), redshirt junior Savannah Jessee (C), junior Paige Doerr (OF), and junior Kaylan Yoder (P) were also recognized.

With softball legend Dot Richardson at the helm, Liberty lost just three conference games (23-3) and made the program's first-ever appearance in a Super Regional after eliminating the No. 1 overall seed and SEC powerhouse Texas A&M. It was the first time a No. 1 seed did not advance out of the Regional.

LA Tech Bulldogs (2)

LA Tech enters the season projected to finish second, backed by both the Preseason and Player of the Year selections, redshirt junior Reagan Marchant (IF) and senior Allie Floyd (P), respectively.

Marchant batted .313 in 2025 with 50 hits, 30 of which were extra-bases including 11 doubles. Her 18 home runs set a new single-season record for LA Tech and were third among her CUSA counterparts. Her 53 RBI and .731 slugging percentage also topped the charts and were a team-best.

Floyd led CUSA in strikeouts (182) and innings pitched (204.0) and was second in wins with 22. The right-hander held a 2.78 ERA with 41 appearances, 18 complete games, three shutouts, and two saves.

Jacksonville State Gamecocks (2)

Sophomore Kailey Martin (IF) and junior Emma Elrod (OF) helped lead the Gamecocks to the 2025 CUSA Softball Championship title game, narrowly edging Western Kentucky, 2-1. Elrod led Jax State offensively with a .383 average, 77 hits, 15 home runs, 17 doubles, and 33 RBI. Martin started all 58 games as a true freshman, totaling a Gamecock-best 47 RBI, and was just four off from matching Elrod's big fly count.

Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (2)

Senior Ansley Blevins (C) and sophomore Jana Want (IF) both earned All-CUSA First Team distinctions in 2025. Blevins' 14 home runs were tied for sixth in the league and first for the Blue Raiders. She slugged for .631, placing her 10th in the conference. Want batted .352, boasting an on-base percentage of .487, drawing 37 walks, and scored 36 times.

Florida International Panthers (2)

Juniors Kally Meredith (OF) and Paige Miller (IF) secured the preseason accolade after serving as the top two hitters for the Panthers last year. They both batted a smidge over .350, responsible for a collective 110 hits, almost 30 percent of the team's total. Meredith tallied 63 hits, while Miller's .432 on-base percentage entitled them as threats in the heart of the Panthers' batting order.

Sam Houston's Abigail Young (Jr. P), Delaware's Sydney Shaffer (Sr. DP/UT), and New Mexico State's Devin Elam (Sr. OF) also claimed preseason all-conference nods.

The 2026 schedule kicks off on Thursday, Feb. 5, when FIU hosts Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The rest of the CUSA teams start games on Feb. 6.

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Maddy Lewis
MADDY LEWIS

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