LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego opens its 2026 season by hosting the fifth annual La Jolla Invitational at Triton Softball Field. The Tritons will welcome Montana, Saint Louis, and Wagner for 10 games over three days of competition. Last season, the Tritons qualified for The Big West Championship in their first season eligible to do so, picking up a first-round victory over eventual champion UCSB in the program's Division I postseason debut.
2026 brings a fresh start for all four teams in La Jolla. UC San Diego will face some stiff competition in the opening weekend. Saint Louis won 34 games last season, capturing an Atlantic-10 title and taking part in the Fayetteville Regional. Montana head coach Stef Ewing is in her second season in Missoula after coaching at nearby Cal State San Marcos. Wagner makes its first trip to La Jolla, but the Seahawks are making their second California appearance in the last three seasons, playing at Saint Mary's and UC Davis in 2024.
ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
2025 Overall: 16-32
2025 Big West: 13-14
2025 Home: 6-12
2025 Away: 8-12
2025 Neutral: 2-8
FULL LA JOLLA INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Thursday, Feb. 5
Friday, Feb. 6
Saturday, Feb. 7
UP NEXT
UC San Diego remains home next week, hosting Utah Tech in a doubleheader on Feb. 12 before taking part in the USD/UCSD Co-Host Tournament over the weekend. The Tritons' DH vs. Utah Tech as well as the home game vs. Colorado State (Feb. 14) will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Tracy Warren calling the action.
CHERRY SELECTED TO D1SOFTBALL PRESEASON TOP 100
UC San Diego sophomore first baseman
Maalia Cherry has been named to the inaugural D1Softball Preseason Mid-Major D100 list. A first-year Triton, 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.
CHERRY NAMED TO BIG WEST PRESEASON TEAM
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. The Tritons were awarded 50 points by the conference's head coaches and sophomore
Maalia Cherry was named to the preseason team.
HEAD COACH NIKKI PALMER
Now in her second season,
Nikki Palmer '07 became the 12th coach in program history, taking over the Triton squad which recently completed its four-year NCAA reclassification period from Division II to Division I with 14 All-Big West selections, a Big West pitcher of the year, and three NFCA All-Region selections.
In her eight seasons at the helm of UC Riverside, Palmer became the winningest head coach in program history in 2023 and tallied her 200th career-win in the same season. Out of her eight seasons, Palmer holds five of the winningest seasons on the top 10 list.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Seven true freshmen will don the blue and gold this season: RHP
Alyanna Gonzales, RHP
Bella Settembro, RHP
Auddrey Lira, RHP
Callie Howard, middle infielder
Tori Hinostro, utility
Gianna Ioja, LHP Zoë Rutherford, and catcher
Dylan Kunkle.
WHY THE TRITONS?
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.
UC SAN DIEGO TO THE WCC
In the fall, UC San Diego announced that it has accepted an invitation to join the West Coast Conference beginning in 2027-28. Triton softball will face a trio of WCC foes this season: Pacific, Seattle U, and USD.
SOFTBALL TALK ON UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS' PODCAST
Produced by UC San Diego Athletics, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches, and administrators. New episodes are available on the most popular podcasting apps and UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on X @Tritoncast.
ANDY FEE NAMED ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AT UC SAN DIEGO
Andy Fee took the helm of UC San Diego Athletics in September, just the fourth Director of Athletics at UC San Diego since 1966. Fee joined the Tritons after spending the 2024-25 season as Deputy AD at Seattle University. Prior to Seattle U, Fee spent two years at Washington as Deputy AD and Chief of Staff. Before relocating to Seattle, Fee spent five years as Director of Athletics at Long Beach State from 2017 to 2022. The Beach claimed The Big West Commissioner's Cup three times in those five years.
No stranger to conference transition, Fee will help guide the Tritons into the West Coast Conference in 2027-28. He also helped guide Washington into the Big Ten and Seattle U into the WCC in July.
FOLLOW THE TRITONS
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through X, Facebook, and Instagram. The team's handle is @UCSDsoftball.
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!
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.
