OXFORD, Ohio- The Rio Grande RedStorm are once again the favorites in the River States Conference in softball, finishing first in the 2026 RSC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The poll, announced Thursday by the River States Conference office, saw each of the conference's nine head coaches rank the other member schools in order of predicted finish.
The RedStorm went 27-5 in conference play last season, winning the regular season title in the River States Conference. Rio Grande then swept their way through the RSC Tournament in South Charleston, outscoring the opposition by a 16-2 margin for their second straight title. The RedStorm then picked up two wins in the NAIA Softball Opening Round, beating host Indiana Wesleyan and eliminating Madonna.
Oakland City earned three first place votes, and finished second in the preseason poll. The Mighty Oaks advanced to the RSC championship game last season before falling in a 1-0 thriller to Rio Grande. IU Southeast placed third, with Shawnee State following in fourth. The Bears earned the other first place votes, finishing atop the ballot twice.
St. Mary-of-the-Woods rounded out the top half of the conference, with the coaches placing the Pomeroys fifth. In the bottom half of the poll, the coaches placed IU Columbus sixth, Kentucky Christian seventh, Midway eighth, Brescia ninth, and WVU Tech tenth.
Although some teams play countable games during the fall season, the NAIA softball schedule begins in earnest on January 22. The first scheduled date of conference play of is scheduled for March 6, with the schedule gearing towards the 2026 River States Conference Softball Tournament, scheduled for April 30-May 2 at The Rock Sports Complex in South Charleston, West Virginia.
2026 RSC PRESEASON SOFTBALL COACHES' POLL
1. Rio Grande (76 points, 5 first place votes)
2. Oakland City (71 points, 3 first place votes)
3. IU Southeast (64 points)
4. Shawnee State (60 points, 2 first place votes)
5. St. Mary-of-the-Woods (48 points)
6. IU Columbus (46 points)
7. Kentucky Christian (29 points)
8. Midway (28 points)
9. Brescia (15 points)
10. WVU Tech (13 points)