Cal State East Bay has been selected as the conference favorite in the 2026 CCAA Softball Coaches Preseason Poll, earning 76 points and five of the nine first-place votes.

Cal State San Marcos was second in the balloting with 71 points and two first-place votes, while Cal State San Bernardino rounded out the top three with 55 points.
 

2026 CCAA Softball Preseason Poll
Cal State East Bay (5)	76
Cal State San Marcos (2)	71
Cal State San Bernardino	55
San Francisco State	52
Cal State Dominguez Hills (1)	44
Chico State (1)	34
Cal State Monterey Bay	30
Cal Poly Humboldt	30
Stanislaus State	13
first-place votes in parenthesis

San Francisco State landed in fourth with 52 points, followed by Cal State Dominguez Hills in fifth with 44 points and one first-place selection. Chico State took sixth place with 34 points and secured the remaining first-place vote.

Cal State Monterey Bay tied Cal Poly Humboldt for seventh as both programs tallied 30 points. Stanislaus State completed the poll, taking ninth with 13 points.

Cal State East Bay
Cal State East Bay enters 2026 after claiming the CCAA regular-season title with a 26-10 conference record (.722) and a 40-15 overall mark. The Pioneers led the conference with a 1.88 earned run average (ERA). They return junior pitcher Marissa Quintero, who paced the league in ERA (1.23), along with sophomore utility player Marissa Farias. Both were named to the 2026 CCAA Softball Preseason Watch List. CSUEB earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA West Regional and hosted a portion of the tournament, in which they won two NCAA postseason games. 
 
Cal State San Marcos
Cal State San Marcos finished 43-23 overall and 21-15 in league play to tie for second in the 2025 standings. The Cougars’ 43 wins led the conference, and a 10-2 neutral-site record helped propel them into the postseason. CSUSM continued its trend of top-three conference finishes and was the runner-up in the CCAA Tournament. The Cougars would advance to the NCAA regional for the fourth consecutive season. They won their pod and represented the CCAA in the NCAA Super Regional. Third baseman Jillian Albayati returns to lead the Cougars. She recorded the longest hitting streak of the season for CSUSM with 12 games, and batted .337 with 66 hits, 27 runs, 34 RBIs, four home runs, nine doubles, two triples, and 91 total bases.
 
Cal State San Bernardino
Cal State San Bernardino posted a 26-27 overall record and finished 18-18 in conference play to land in the middle of the table. The Coyotes went 12-6 at home and earned a postseason berth after closing the regular season at .500 in league action. The Coyotes bring in a sophomore transfer from Sonoma State, Ava Paquin. As a freshman, she posted a 2.86 ERA with eight wins and four losses and pitched a no-hitter against Cal State Monterey Bay on April 18, 2025.
 
San Francisco State
San Francisco State finished 39-20 overall and 21-15 in conference play to join the three-way tie for second in the standings. The Gators won 20 home games and added eight neutral-site victories, advancing to the CCAA Tournament for the second straight year. Senior Marissa Jordan returns to lead SF State. Last year, she earned All-CCAA second team honors after hitting .299 with 40 hits, eight extra-base knocks, and 24 RBI. The team won the CCAA Tournament title and an automatic bid to the NCAA regional.
 
Cal State Dominguez Hills
Cal State Dominguez Hills went 31-25 overall and matched San Bernardino at 18-18 in conference play. The Toros collected 17 home wins and advanced to the postseason. The team led the conference with a .973 fielding percentage. The team earned its fourth straight appearance at the 2025 CCAA Softball Tournament.
 
Chico State
Chico State posted a 22-24 overall record and went 14-22 in conference action. The Wildcats won 11 home contests, finishing with an 8-2 mark at neutral sites. Chico returns pitcher Amelie Valdez for her senior season. As a junior, she registered a 2.42 ERA, leading her team with 11 wins and 12 complete games. They also return Aiyana Curry, who led her team with a .961 on base plus slugging percentage and a .345 batting average with 42 runs batted in. Kennedy Gustin led the Wildcats with 50 hits and 27 runs.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay (30), Cal Poly Humboldt (30), and Stanislaus State (13) rounded out the last three spots on the list.
 
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First pitch for the 2026 CCAA softball season is set for January 30, 2026.