ALISO VIEJO, Calif.  - For the first time since joining NCAA Division II, Cal State San Marcos is ranked No. 1 in the NFCA/GoRout Division II Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll.
 
The Cougars are 14-1 this season and are on a 12-game winning streak. They won the CUI Kickoff Classic and finished runner-up in the D2 West Coast Challenge. CSUSM's only loss was a 3-2 extra-innings decision against Fort Lewis.
 
Pitching has been the Cougars' strength in the first part of the season, as they lead the country with a 0.85 team earned run average. CSUSM has thrown shutouts in five of its 15 games and is allowing fewer than a runner per inning (0.99). Jordan Hill paces the team with a 0.20 ERA, with Daleah Cardenas (0.76) and Madison Cabrera (1.05) not far behind.
 
Offensively, Cal State San Marcos ranks 14th with 16 home runs, six more than any other team in the conference. It is also 18th in scoring (7.27 runs/game) and batting average (.357). Jillian Albayati leads the CCAA with a .565 batting average and seven home runs (5th in NCAA). She has a .643 on-base percentage and the most RBI in the country with 32.
 
This is the first time any CSUSM team has been ranked No. 1 since it joined NCAA Div. II in 2015-16. The Cougars were ranked No. 2 last week.
 
In the same poll, Cal State East Bay was ranked No. 2, giving the CCAA the top two teams in the country. The Pioneers have won 13 consecutive games to improve to 14-1 this season. They won the D2 West Coast Challenge, going 5-0 against teams from the PacWest, GNAC, and RMAC conferences.
 
The Pioneers' strength has also been inside the pitching circle, where it ranks fifth in the nation with a 1.33 earned run average. Marissa Quintero's 0.27 ERA ranks eighth in NCAA Div. II, and she is fourth with six complete games.
 
CSUSM's rise to No. 1 marks the third time in 2025-26 a CCAA team has earned the No. 1 ranking in the country. The Cal Poly Pomona women's soccer team began the year at No. 1 and stayed in the top 5 for most of the season. The Stanislaus State men's soccer team went from being ranked No. 7 in the CCAA preseason coaches poll to No. 1 in the country after going undefeated in its first 14 matches (13-0-1).
 
The Cal State San Marcos and Cal State East Bay softball teams will both be on the diamond for non-conference games this week, before starting conference play on Friday, March 6. 

Click here to see the complete NFCA/GoRout Division II Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll.