Greenville, SC – Francis Marion University is picked as the unanimous champion in the 2026 Conference Carolinas Softball Preseason Poll by the league's softball coaches, the conference office announced on Friday.
The Patriots have won the last three Conference Carolinas Tournament titles and won the east division each of the last two years as they sit atop the poll with 225 points and 15 first place votes. UNC Pembroke received the final first place vote and 184 points to land in the second slot. King University, North Greenville University and Southern Wesleyan rounded out the top five. King received 178 points, North Greenville 174 points and Southern Wesleyan 171 points.
The top 10 is concluded by the University of Mount Olive (157), Young Harris College (143), Barton College (127), Chowan University (119) and Emmanuel University (115).
Converse University (96), Belmont Abbey College (67), Shorter University (58), Erskine College (47), Lees-McRae College (35) and Ferrum College (24) rounded out the poll.
Southern Wesleyan will return several key players from last season's history making team who finished with a 30-15 overall record. Offensively, the Warriors will welcome back short stop Maddie Crouch and pitcher/outfielder Olivia Haag. Crouch led the Warriors by going 14-16 in stolen base attempts while batting .318 with 41 hits including nine doubles, two triples and three home runs. Haag also was productive offensively for the Warriors as she batted .313 with 30 hits including a double, a triple and six home runs. In the circle, Southern Wesleyan will be looking to Haag, Chloe Smith and Emily Collins. Together the three combined for 166 strikeouts last season. Haag led the team with a 2.14 ERA during the season, but both Smith (2.37) and Collins (3.76) were right behind her in earned run average.
The Warriors will open up the 2026 on the road at the Embry-Riddle Tournament where they will face Mississippi College, Embry-Riddle, West Alabama and Tampa from February 5 to 7. They will take part in a second tournament on February 13-14 where they will take on Emory & Henry, Middle Georgia State and Lander. Southern Wesleyan will host their home opener on February 21 as they welcome the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters to Varsity Field. The Warriors will open up Conference Carolinas action at home as they host the Emmanuel Lions on March 3.
The 2026 Conference Carolinas Softball Championship is scheduled to take place from Thursday, April 23-Sunday, April 26 at Tyger River Park in Duncan, South Carolina.
The preseason poll was voted on by the league's head coaches and they can't vote for their own school.
