By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – Coming off their second consecutive appearance at the NCAA Division II Softball World Series last spring, the Western Washington Vikings were selected by the Great Northwest Athletic Conference coaches as the 2026 preseason favorite.
 
WWU earned 4 of 7 first-place votes in the coaches poll released Wednesday, totaling 45 points after a 2025 season that saw them win their second GNAC regular-season title and first since the 2007 campaign. WWU finished four points ahead of second-place Saint Martin’s, which received two first-place votes and 41 points.
 

2026 GNAC Softball Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank	Team (1st Place Votes)	Points	2025 Record	2025 GNAC Record	2026 Roster	2026 Schedule
1	Western Washington (4)	45	47-13	21-3 (1st)	2026 Roster	2026 Schedule
2	Saint Martin's (2)	41	32-16	16-7 (2nd)	2026 Roster	2026 Schedule
3	Northwest Nazarene (1)	34	23-23	11-13 (5th)	2026 Roster	2026 Schedule
4	Simon Fraser	32	24-25	13-11 (3rd)	2026 Roster	2026 Schedule
5	Montana State Billings	17	16-28	11-11 (4th)	2026 Roster	2026 Schedule
6	Central Washington	15	6-32	4-20 (7th)	2026 Roster	2026 Schedule
7	Western Oregon	12	13-37	6-17 (6th)	2026 Roster	2026 Schedule
Points awarded on a 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

 

Ranked No. 3 nationally in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association preseason top-25, the Vikings went 47-13 overall last spring and cruised through their GNAC slate at 21-3 to lock up the title. They went on to win the GNAC Championships crown, the NCAA West Region title and the NCAA Super Regional trophy each for the second consecutive season. WWU made history in 2024 by becoming the first team in GNAC history to advance to the Division II World Series and doubled down last year with a return trip. WWU is led by GNAC co-Coach of the Year Sheryl Gilmore, who, in seven seasons leading the team has a record of 214-116 (.648) and is 100-54 (.649) in league games.
 
Back for the Vikings is consensus first-team All-American third baseman Maleah Andrews, who ranked sixth in the nation last season with a batting average of .473. The junior was also fourth in the NCAA in doubles (23), fifth in on-base percentage (.578), sixth in hits (87) and eighth in runs scored (64). The left side of WWU’s infield features two former GNAC Players of the Year, as shortstop Hailey Rath earned that honor in 2024 before Andrews claimed a share of it last spring. In three years wearing a WWU uniform Rath holds a slash line of .347/.405/.571 with 49 doubles, 22 home runs and 138 RBIs. Another returning all-conference performer from 2025 for the Vikings is senior first baseman Olivia Matlock, who hit .281 with seven homers and 44 RBIs in her first season with the team.
 
The Vikings will need to replace what was one of the best pitching rotations in GNAC history, as Joie Baker, Kaiana Kong and Alli Kimball each departed. Those three had the top-three ERAs in the GNAC last year with Kong at 1.42 in 143 1/3 innings pitched, Kimball at 2.16 across 120 innings pitched and Baker at 2.33 in 120 1/3 innings pitched. They combined to win 46 of WWU’s 47 games, collected nine saves and totaled 263 of the team’s 272 strikeouts.
 
The 2025 campaign was another successful one for the Saint Martin’s Saints, who made their second straight NCAA West Region Championships appearance after finishing as the GNAC runner up. SMU posted a 32-16 overall record, including a mark of 16-7 in conference contests to finish only behind the Vikings. The Saints are led by Jim Peterson, who in eight years has compiled a record of 200-150 (.571) and is 99-75 (.569) in conference games.
 
Sharing GNAC Player of the Year honors with WWU’s Andrews was Saint Martin’s first baseman Heather Ebner, who is among the league’s top returning talents. As a sophomore in 2025 Ebner slashed .439/.536/.752 last season, ranking third in Division II with 1.40 RBIs per game. Her total of 67 RBIs last spring broke the conference record of 66, set by Northwest Nazarene’s Maia McNicoll in 2022. SMU has three other returning all-conference players on its 2026 roster. Senior outfielder Shelby Lawson was a second-team pick last spring, after hitting .426 with 49 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in 16 attempts. Pitcher Amanda Peterson returns to the staff after an honorable mention performance last spring, as she posted a 4.57 ERA across 61 1/3 innings pitched.
 
Like the Vikings, the Saints will have to replace their top pitcher as first-team all-GNAC right-hander Chloe Leverington graduated. She led the conference with 19 wins, striking out 81 hitters in 136 2/3 innings pitched and holding a 3.48 ERA. Leverington set a high standard with 27 career saves – 18 more than the next-closest pitcher in GNAC history.
 
Earning the other first-place vote and finishing third in the preseason coaches poll with 34 points was Northwest Nazarene. The Nighthawks finished 23-23 last spring and narrowly missed a spot in the GNAC Championships with a league record of 11-13 for fifth place. One of the most successful coaches in GNAC history, Rich Wagner returns for his 14th year leading the squad one win shy of the most conference victories in league history entering the season with 150. His five regular-season titles and three conference tournament crowns are each tied for most ever by a GNAC coach, and no other GNAC coach has matched his eight overall trophies.
 
If last year’s numbers are any indicator, then NNU should have one of the GNAC’s best pitching staffs in 2026. GNAC Freshman of the Year Miah Lusk is back after ranking second in the GNAC with 108 strikeouts across a team-high 118 innings pitched while holding a 3.32 ERA. Victoria Frias led the squad with a 2.42 ERA across 55 innings pitched, and Riley McGee is another returning sophomore who handled 52 2/3 innings with a 4.39 ERA last year.
 
Offensively NNU’s leading hitter is back in outfielder Ava Clark, who slashed .328/.456/.460 and started all 46 games in 2025. Other key returners to the lineup include Keana Bell (.293 avg., 4 HR), Jami Obringer (.265 avg, 5 SB) and Emma Bumatay (.253 avg., 5 HR). All-GNAC second baseman Emma Mulligan, who tied the GNAC record with 186 career runs scored in 215 starts, was the most experienced player that the Nighthawks will look to replace.
 
Finishing just shy of its first-ever trip to the NCAA postseason last year was Simon Fraser, which was selected fourth in the preseason poll with 32 points. The Red Leafs went 24-25 overall in 2025 and finished third in the GNAC standings at 13-11 in conference play. SFU pushed Western Washington to the limit in last year’s GNAC Championships title contest, falling 8-7 in its final game of the season. Stacy Fournier begins her fourth season in charge of the Red Leafs, holding a record of 46-92 (.333) and 24-48 (.333) in league games.
 
The Red Leafs’ top offensive returner is Cassidy Affledt, who slashed .380/.438/.672 with eight home runs and 42 RBIs last season on her way to first-team all-conference honors. Shortstop Grace McMillan is back after starting all 49 games and hitting .301 with nine stolen bases, and Lauren Lugtigheid also returns after hitting .331 in her freshman season in the SFU outfield. One of the conference’s top pitchers is back in the circle in 2026 for SFU as Monica Bourque returns for her junior season. The GNAC leader with 115 strikeouts last season, Bourque tossed five shutouts to go with a 2.35 ERA across 125 1/3 innings pitched.
 
Finishing fifth in the preseason poll was Montana State Billings, which secured 17 points in the voting. The Yellowjackets fought for an 11-11 league record last year, which was good enough to earn the fourth and final spot into the conference tournament. MSUB went 16-28 overall, with Joe Yegge returning for his second season piloting the program.
 
A pair of first-team all-conference outfielders are back in the lineup for the Yellowjackets, in junior Bryn Lucht and senior Marleigh Nieto. Lucht led the GNAC with 14 home runs and ranked second with a .748 slugging percentage last year, while Nieto was seventh in the league with a batting average of .381. Second-team all-conference utility player Wynter Hurst also returns, after hitting .314 with 10 doubles last year. MSUB will rely on newcomers to the pitching rotation, as its top arm from last year in Emily Watters (4.99 ERA, 109 1/3 IP) departed.
 
Earning 15 points and finishing sixth in the preseason rankings was Central Washington. The Wildcats are looking to rebound after a challenging 2025 season in which they went 6-32 overall and finished seventh in the league standings at 4-20 in conference contests. CWU will trust in first-year head

coach Ronnie Ladines, who spent the 2025 campaign as the interim head coach at fellow Division II St. Mary’s in Texas.
 
The Wildcats’ top returners include second-team all-GNAC first baseman Mia Flores and honorable mention infielder Jessica Reitz-Eaton. Flores led the team with five home runs last year, while hitting .289 in 29 games played. Reitz-Eaton hit .270 with a pair of long balls and four stolen bases in her debut collegiate season. Junior Zoey Theophilus is the most experienced returner to the pitching staff, after logging 76 1/3 innings and striking out 51 hitters in 2025.
 
Finishing just behind the Wildcats in seventh place with 12 points in the poll was Western Oregon. The Wolves went 13-37 last spring including a record of 6-17 in conference games to finish sixth in the GNAC standings. Aly Boytz begins her fourth season leading the team, sitting at 56-93 overall (.376) and 26-45 (.367) in conference games.
 
The Wolves will rely on the presence of senior outfielder Victoria Zimmerman, who earned second-team all-GNAC recognition in each of the last two seasons. In 133 career games played for the Wolves, Zimmerman is a .321 hitter with 24 stolen bases. She enters her final collegiate season one hit shy of the century mark in her career. Sophomore utility player Lauren Mauer is back after ranking second on the team with a .287 batting average to go along with a pair of home runs and 13 RBIs. WOU also welcomes back its top pitcher from last season in junior right-hander Kennedy Abbas. She had team bests of 75 strikeouts, 137 1/3 innings pitched and a 4.54 ERA during the 2025 season.
 
The 2026 GNAC Softball Championships will run May 7-9 at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash. The top-four teams in the 2026 GNAC regular-season standings will earn spots in the conference tournament, with the winner claiming the GNAC’s automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA West Region Championships.
 
The 2026 season kicks off on Jan. 30 with six of the league’s seven teams in action. Conference play begins the weekend of March 20 and runs through the first week of May as the teams kick off the 24-game race to the conference tournament.