IRVINE, Calif. – UC San Diego softball was selected to finish in a tie for fourth place in The Big West, as announced in the 2026 Big West Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll on Thursday afternoon. The Tritons were awarded 50 points by the conference's head coaches and sophomore Maalia Cherry was named to the preseason team.
 
The Tritons went 14-16 in conference play in 2025, earning a spot in The Big West Championship in their first year eligible to do so. 

A first-year Triton, Maalia Cherry played her freshman season at Cal State Bakersfield, posting a .336 batting average with 13 home runs and 37 runs batted in. Cherry led The Big West with an OPS of 1.129 and her 13 homers ranked second. During conference play, Cherry paced The Big West with a .526 slugging percentage. Earlier this month, she was named to the D1Softball Preseason Top 100 List.
  
The Tritons kickoff their season at Triton Softball Field, Feb. 5-7, as they host the fifth annual La Jolla Invitational on the UC San Diego campus. Montana, St. Louis, and Wagner will also compete in the four-team, three-day event. Admission is free.
 
2026 Big West Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Rank Institution                    Points
1. UC Santa Barbara (6)      78
2. Cal State Fullerton (4)      75
3. Long Beach State             65
T-4. Hawai'i                           50
T-4. UC San Diego               50
6. UC Davis                           38
7. CSUN                                36
8. Cal Poly                             27
9. UC Riverside                     22
10. Cal State Bakersfield       9
First-place votes in parentheses
 
2026 All-Big West Softball Preseason Coaches' Team
Student-Athlete        Year   Pos.    Institution                   Hometown
Ava Arce                    Sr.       INF     Cal State Fullerton Huntington Beach, Calif.
Maalia Cherry          So.      INF     UC San Diego         Hayward, Calif.
Rebeca Cabezas     Sr.       INF     UC Riverside            Santa Ana, Calif.
Bella Fuentes           Sr.       INF     UC Santa Barbara   Chino Hills, Calif.
Malaya Johnson       Sr.       P         UC Santa Barbara   Roseville, Calif.
Alexia Lopez             Sr.       INF     Cal State Fullerton   Eastvale, Calif.
Nataly Lozano          So.      UTL    Cal State Fullerton   Chula Vista, Calif.
Trisha McCleskey     R-Jr.   P         Cal State Fullerton   Merced, Calif.
Colby McClinton       Sr.       INF     Cal State Fullerton   Kaneohe, Hawai'i
Giselle Mejia             So.      OF      UC Santa Barbara   La Puente, Calif.
Ashley Sawai            Jr.       P         UC Davis                   Torrance, Calif.
 
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 in NCAA Division I. The 24-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 84 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 NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.