LOCK HAVEN, Pa.- The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) released its softball preseason coaches poll on Wednesday afternoon, and West Chester was picked to finish fifth in the PSAC East in 2026.
East Stroudsburg (48-12-1, 26-5-1) was picked to win the East once again with six first-place votes, followed by Shippensburg (36-22, 19-13) and Shepherd (28-24-1, 19-12-1) with two and one, respectively. Kutztown (43-19, 2-11) was picked to finish fourth followed by West Chester (33-19, 18-14), Bloomsburg (33-21, 19-13), Millersville (22-30, 6-26), Lock Haven (15-27, 9-23), and Mansfield (8-32, 6-26).
Slippery Rock (29-21, 21-7) was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the PSAC West with four first-place votes, followed by Indiana (Pa.) (26-20, 15-13) with three and Gannon (29-19, 18-10) with one to round out the top three. Seton Hill (29-17, 18-10) and California (Pa.) (18-33, 14-14) finished out the top five, followed by Clarion (12-28, 8-16), Pitt-Johnstown (11-29, 8-18), and Edinboro (7-31, 6-20).
The 2026 PSAC Tournament will be held away from Quakertown this spring for the first time since 2021, when it was played on campus sites as college athletics emerged from COVID-19. In 2026, the PSAC Tournament will be held at Grand Slam Park in Binghamton, New York, beginning on May 6 and concluding on May 9.
The 2024 PSAC Tournament Champion Golden Rams narrowly missed a return trip to the PSAC Tournament last spring, finishing sixth in the PSAC Eastern Division standings at 18-14 in league play and 32-17 overall.
Despite missing out on a return trip to Quakertown, West Chester did advance to the NCAA Tournament and finished the year 33-19 overall after dropping a marathon game against Shippensburg on the opening day of the Tournament before staving off elimination against Bowie State with a 5-4 comeback victory. The Golden Rams eventually saw their season come to a close with a 2-1 loss to host East Stroudsburg on the strength of a two-run first inning by the Warrior offense.
West Chester appears well-positioned for another exciting May in 2026 as the team returns its top three bats from a year ago in
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin), Paige Marabell (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock), and Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon), who batted .345, .340, and .315 a year ago. Marabell led the team in home runs and RBI with 13 home runs, along with 13 doubles and a triple for 48 RBI, while Hopkins, who had enjoyed a breakout sophomore season, picked up 17 doubles and nine home runs for 34 RBI, which was tied for second on the team with
Casey Best. Ciliberto brought a steady bat to the lineup along with her efforts in the circle as the junior logged 41 hits, including five doubles and three home runs, scoring 18 runs and driving in 25 more, while also working 15 walks to consistently find her way on base.
In the circle, Ciliberto is also the Golden Rams' top returning arm as she finished her junior season with a record of 18-7 and a 1.82 ERA with 12 complete games, including three shutouts, along with three saves. The junior pitched 165.1 innings for WCU in 2025 and struck out 104, while holding batters to a .258 batting average.
Alyssa Tooley (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) is another arm that West Chester will likely be looking for more from in 2025, as she appeared in 18 games with five starts as a freshman and pitched to a record of 5-1 with a save and a 2.93 ERA in 40.2 innings of work. Tooley struck out 29 in her rookie season and held opponents to a .261 batting average against.
West Chester will open its 2026 season on February 14 in North Carolina against Fairmont State and Barton, with the first game beginning at 12 p.m., as the Golden Rams will be the first Spring team in action for WCU this season.
