IRVINE, Calif. – On Friday afternoon, the UC San Diego softball team was picked to finish fourth according to the 2023 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll, as determined by the conference's head coaches. They were awarded 56 points in the poll. Sophomore Jada Cecil earns preseason recognition as she is named to the 2023 Big West Preseason Coaches' Team after a breakout rookie campaign.
 
The Tritons went 15-12 in conference gameplay in 2022 and 28-28 overall in the 2022 season. This will be the Tritons third season in the Big West. At the end of the 2022 season, the Tritons traveled to Colorado for the NISC to compete in postseason competition for the first time as a NCAA Division I institution.
 
The team is returning 17 players, seven seniors: Keila Bosinger, Clarissa Reynoso, Kelley Renner, Kaia Simpson, Mikaila Pancino, Sophia Real, and Bobbi Aguirre; five juniors: Zoe Richards, Mariah Melendez, Deena Pederson, Shelby Thompson, and Gabby Williams; five sophomores: Jada Cecil, Morgan Eng, Marissa Hassis, Alexa DeMarse, and Reilly Erickson. Joining the team this season are six freshmen and one junior transfer: Kayleigh Coberly, Lily Hermosillo, Georgia Heathcock, Hailey Mulligan, Hannah Allen, Claire Adams, and Teagan Dobson (transfer).
 
The gold and blue were led at the plate by Isabel Lavrov who graduated in 2022, along senior Keila Bosinger and sixth year Bobbi Aguirre. Bosinger batted an average .310 with an on-base percentage of .362. Aguirre started and played all 56 games of the 2022 season to add their average of .300 with an on-base percentage of .462.
 
Named to the 2023 Big West Preseason Coaches' Team, Jada Cecil returns to the circle for the Tritons after a dominant rookie season. Tossing 230 strikeouts over 174.1 innings of work with an ERA of 1.62, Cecil went 20-4 in the regular season for the gold and blue.
 
She broke three records in the 2022 season: the single-game high strikeouts, and the individual season-high strikeouts, and assisted the pitching staff in snapping the 20-year-old team single-season strikeout record as well.
 
The right-hander earned Big West Pitcher and Freshman Pitcher of the Year, making the conference First Team and All-Freshman team. Recognized nationally, she was a Top 10 Finalist for Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year and earned NFCA West Region Second Team honors.
 
The Tritons kickoff their season at Triton Softball Stadium, Feb. 10-12, as they host the second annual La Jolla Invitational on the UC San Diego campus. Action is set for 4:30 pm against Stonehill College and will be live on ESPN+.
 
2023 BIG WEST PRESEASON COACHES' POLL

Rank	Institution	Points
1.	Cal State Fullerton	80 (8)
2.	Long Beach State	68 (1)
3.	Hawai'i	59
4.	UC San Diego	56
5.	CSUN	41
6.	Cal Poly	40 (1)
7.	UC Riverside	36
8.	UC Davis	35
9.	UC Santa Barbara	20
10.	CSU Bakersfield	15

First-place votes in parenthesis
 
2023 BIG WEST PRESEASON COACHES' TEAM

Jessi Alcala	Junior	Catcher	Cal State Fullerton	Whittier, Calif.
Hannah Becerra	Junior	Infielder	Cal State Fullerton	Diamond Bar, Calif.
Kenedi Brown	Junior	Pitcher	UC Davis	Elk Grove, Calif.
Jada Cecil	Sophomore	Pitcher	UC San Diego	Temecula, Calif.
Jessica Clements	Sophomore	Outfielder	Cal Poly	Monterey, Calif.
Megan Delgadillo	Junior	Outfielder	Cal State Fullerton	Riverside, Calif.
Samantha Fowler	Senior	Pitcher	Long Beach State	Los Alamitos, Calif.
Brianna Lopez	Sophomore	Pitcher	Hawai'i	Riverside, Calif.
Madelyn McNally	Junior	Infielder	UC Santa Barbara	La Habra, Calif.
Daizy Munoz	Senior	Infielder	Cal State Fullerton	Buena Park, Calif.
Myka Sutherlin	Senior	Pitcher	Cal State Fullerton	Gilbert, Ariz.

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.