ASHLAND – The Southern Oregon University softball team will start the new season in the same place it ended the last one: on top of the NAIA.

Fresh off their fourth World Series championship in six years, the Raiders picked up all 17 first-place votes in Wednesday's 2026 preseason NAIA Top 25 coaches' poll. They'll open with a No. 1 ranking for the third time in team history when they make their February debut.

SOU was also tabbed the favorite in last week's Cascade Conference preseason poll, followed by Oregon Tech in second and Eastern Oregon in third. EOU – which the Raiders defeated to advance to the 2025 championship round – was No. 3 and Oregon Tech was No. 10 in the preseason Top 25. Two more CCC squads, College of Idaho and British Columbia, received votes.

The Raiders have been among the top-10 in nine consecutive preseason polls and top-five in eight of those.

They have five starters and 15 total players back from a team that went 55-9. The headliner is reigning NAIA Pitcher of the Year and World Series MVP Ayla Davies, who went 38-5 with a 1.20 ERA over 297 innings as a freshman.

All-CCC honorable mention pick Vanessa Lang and World Series All-Tournament team member Brooke Nordahl are back to lead the infield. Catcher Kierstin Grotewiel and outfielder Ari Williams will also be following up on big postseasons.

Jessica Pistole, now a four-time NAIA Coach of the Year, brought in a five-piece recruiting class that includes El Camino C.C. (Calif.) transfer Lexi Ramirez, the 2025 NFCA Cal-JC Pitcher of the Year.

Her team will face at least three nationally-ranked squad in non-conference play: No. 2 Oklahoma City, No. 9 Science & Arts (Okla.) and No. 21 Hope International (Calif.).

The first poll of the regular season will be released March 4.
 

Rank	School [1st-place votes]	2025	Points
1	Southern Oregon [17]	55-9	450
2	Oklahoma City	53-11	435
3	Eastern Oregon	38-11	418
4	Georgia Gwinnett	48-10	398
5	Marian (Ind.)	48-9	375
6	Grand View (Iowa)	42-16	373
7	Cumberlands (Ky.)	40-9	357
8	Central Methodist (Mo.)	42-11	343
9	Science & Arts (Okla.)	50-9	340
10	Oregon Tech	45-11	321
11	Midland (Neb.)	40-18	282
12	Our Lady of the Lake (Texas)	47-9	280
13	LSU Alexandria (La.)	47-9	273
14	Madonna (Mich.)	45-10	247
15	Reinhardt (Ga.)	32-12	238
16	Missouri Baptist	46-8	235
17	Northwestern (Iowa)	48-13	207
18	St. Thomas (Fla.)	46-8	199
19	Southeastern (Fla.)	42-11	184
20	Indiana Wesleyan	44-11	162
21	Hope International (Calif.)	37-15	149
22	Texas A&M University - Texarkana	41-12	121
23	Saint Xavier (Ill.)	37-8	119
24	Rio Grande (Ohio)	46-11	90
25	Evangel (Mo.)	42-12	75
Receiving Votes: Mobile (Ala.) 50; Friends (Kan.) 44; College of Idaho 39; William Carey (Miss.) 18; Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) 16; Baker (Kan.) 13; Campbellsville (Ky.) 11; Morningside (Iowa) 9; Tennessee Southern 8; Benedictine (Kan.) 6; Keiser (Fla.) 5; British Columbia 5; Indiana Tech 3; Coastal Georgia (Ga.) 2