Courtesy Wilmington University Athletics Communications

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Jan. 21, 2026) -- The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) released its GoRout 2026 Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll on Tuesday, and the Wilmington University softball team came in at No. 21 while earning 82 points.

Two-time defending champion UT Tyler was the unanimous pick for the top spot. They were followed by Tampa, 2025's national runner-up, and Western Washington. Pace University holds the fourth spot after defeating Wilmington in the NCAA DII East Super Regional in three games before going on to be a national semifinalist.

The Wildcats had another strong year in 2025, going 36-19. They finished second in the regular season standings to Bridgeport before defeating Goldey-Beacom in the CACC Championship to win their third straight conference title. They went on to defeat Goldey two more times in the NCAA DII East Region II Tournament to make the Super Regional at Pace, but lost the best-of-three series to the Setters 8-0 and 5-1 after taking the first game 1-0 in nine innings.

Wilmington has made the NCAA DII East Super Regional in each of the last four years, the only occurrences in program history, and advanced to the NCAA DII National Championship in 2023 and 2024.

The Wildcats will be tested early in the 2026 season, with four double-headers scheduled against teams ranked in the poll before the midway point of March. No. 15 East Stroudsburg will come to New Castle on February 18, followed by Wilmington heading up to the Poconos for a second double-dip with the Warriors on February 25. While in Florida, the Wildcats will pay a visit to the team one spot ahead of them in the rankings, No. 20 Saint Leo, on March 2, and then a few days later will head south to the University of Tampa to take on the country's No. 2 team on March 6. There's also a double-header scheduled for April 8 at Kutztown, ranked No. 16 by the NFCA.

The 2025 NFCA/GoRout Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by the NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll Committee. The committee consists of 16 NCAA Division II head coaches, with two representing each of the NCAA's eight regions. The first poll of the regular season will be announced on Tuesday, February 10, and every Tuesday at noon ET throughout the regular season.