BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Coming off their second consecutive appearance at the NCAA Division II Softball World Series last spring, the Western Washington Vikings have been selected by the Great Northwest Athletic Conference coaches as the 2026 preseason favorite.

 

WWU earned four of the seven first-place votes in the coaches poll released this week, totaling 45 points after a 2025 season that saw them win their second GNAC regular-season title and conference-best fourth GNAC Tournament trophy. WWU finished four points ahead of second-place Saint Martin's, which received two first-place votes and 41 points.

 

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 advancing to the national semifinal round.

 

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. Over the last two seasons the program has combined to go 99-25 (.798) overall and 40-8 (.833) in GNAC 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 RBI. Another returning all-conference performer from 2025 for the Vikings is senior first baseman Olivia Matlock, who hit .281 with seven homers and 44 RBI in her first season with the team, highlighted by a game-winning three-run home run in the super regional clinching victory at Cal State San Marcos. WWU also returns junior center fielder Laila Carpenter (.333/52-for-156 in 55 G in 2025), utility player Emily McCutcheon, outfielder Rachel Traxler and infielder Haylee Kim. Western will turn to freshman pitchers Alanna Wirtala (Emerald Ridge High School) and Mac Ferguson (Colorado State Univ.) for the bulk of the innings in 2026. 

 

The 2026 season officially opens with five games at the CUI Kickoff Classic January 30-February 1 at Great Park in Irvine, California. The complete schedule with links on how to follow the team can be viewed at WWUVikings.com/Team34.

 

Here is the detailed listing for the 2026 GNAC Softball Preseason Coaches Poll:

 

 

The 2026 season officially opens with five games at the CUI Kickoff Classic January 30-February 1 at Great Park in Irvine, California. WWU is playing in the CUI Kickoff Classic for the sixth time (all since 2020). The Vikings will play Chico State, Chaminade, San Francisco State, Hawai'i Pacific and tournament host CUI in the three-day, 25-team tournament. Western remains in Southern California with five more games in the West Coast Challenge February 6-8 in Lake Elsinore, playing games against Cal Poly Humboldt, No. 17 Cal State East Bay, Colorado Mesa, SFSU and Cal State Dominguez Hills.

 

Western's home opener is scheduled for February 21 with a non-conference doubleheader against Simon Fraser at Viking Field (or Sehome High School depending on weather) at 11 am. The complete 2026 schedule with links on how to follow the team can be viewed at WWUVikings.com/Team34.

The Vikings finished first in the GNAC regular-season standings with a league record of 21-3, before going 3-0 to capture the program's fourth GNAC Championships tournament trophy. From there, the Vikings went 3-0 at the West Regional and defeated Cal State San Marcos 2-1 in a three-game super regional series to advance to the NCAA Championship Finals in Chattanooga, Tennessee. 

 

The WWU softball program enters its 34th season in 2026 while coming off a historic 47-13 season in 2025. The Vikings claimed their fourth GNAC title by winning the 2025 postseason tournament and advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships for the seventh time in program history. Playing in the NCAA postseason for the seventh time, WWU won its second consecutive West Regional title defeating Cal State East Bay in the sub-regional and Cal State San Marcos in the Super Regional. The historic season ended playing in the D2 World Series in Chattanooga, Tennessee, reaching the semifinal round (Final Four). WWU has posted a winning record 22 times during the 33-year history of the program, which won the 1998 NAIA National Championship in only its sixth season to record the school's first ever team national title. Over the last two seasons the program has combined to go 99-25 (.798).