COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado Mesa begins the 2025 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Softball season as the preseason favorites, the league announced Thursday. The Mavericks claimed 117 points and eight first-place votes in the 2025 RMAC Softball Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The poll is voted on by the league’s 12 head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own team.
Colorado Christian checks in at No. 2 in the poll with 107 points and a pair of first-place votes. Metropolitan State University of Denver holds the third position in the preseason poll with 106 points and one first-place vote, while Regis earns 90 points and the last first-place vote. Rounding out the top five is Colorado State University of Pueblo with 80 points.
University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado School of Mines, and Fort Lewis are tightly packed in spots 6-8, receiving 68, 64, and 54 points respectively. Black Hills State, Chadron State, New Mexico Highlands, and Adams State close out the 2025 Softball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, claiming 33, 30, 22, and 21 points.

The 2025 RMAC Softball Players to Watch list was announced with the preseason poll.

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference 2025 Softball Coaches’ Preseason Poll
PL	Team	Points
1.	Colorado Mesa (8)	117
2.	Colorado Christian (2)	107
3.	MSU Denver (1)	106
4.	Regis (1)	90
5.	CSU Pueblo	80
6.	UCCS	68
7.	Colorado School of Mines	64
8.	Fort Lewis	54
9.	Black Hills State	33
10.	Chadron State	30
11.	New Mexico Highlands	22
12.	Adams State	21
First-place votes in parentheses. 11 points were awarded for a first-place vote, with one point less for each succeeding place. (Maximum score = 121). Coaches were not allowed to vote for their team

Led by Myah Arrieta, the reigning RMAC Player of the Year,  Preslee Christensen, the reigning RMAC Pitcher of the Year, and head coach Mercedes Bohte, last season’s RMAC Coach of the Year, the Mavericks look to keep the momentum going in 2025. CMU swung for the fences throughout the 2024 season, recording an NCAA Division II single-season record 123 home runs while holding a .680 slugging percentage. Arrieta led her squad in this regard, raking in 28 home runs herself on an outstanding 1.027 slugging. Her impressive performance at the plate set a CMU and RMAC record for home runs in a season. The Mavericks also return Ally Distler, a 2024 First Team All-RMAC student-athlete who added 59 hits, 19 home runs, and a .443 on-base percentage to her squad last year. Behind their major award winners, CMU finished the 2024 season 46-11 and earned the No. 1 seed in the RMAC Championship.

Colorado Christian returns seven starters from last season, including RMAC Freshman of the Year Elyse McMullin, First Team All-RMAC honoree Kaila Eastburn, and Second Team All-RMAC honoree Emma Duncan. McMullin, Eastburn, and Duncan keep the Cougars’ strong pitching core together heading into the 2025 season, with McMullin posting a 2.58 ERA in her freshman campaign. Eastburn, one of the league’s top pitchers, dominated the circle last season, recording a 2.68 ERA in 27 appearances, while Duncan notched a 2.92 ERA and 16 wins. Head coach Larry Hays enters his eighth season at the helm of the Cougars, collecting two RMAC tournament crowns in the last three years.

Led by head coach Annie Van Wetzinga, MSU Denver earns the No. 3 spot in the preseason poll. In her Roadrunner tenure, Van Wetzinga has amassed 500 wins, two RMAC tournament crowns, and one RMAC Coach of the Year award. On the field, the Roadrunners are led by Jenna Medhus, Genevieve Bower, Miki Berg, and Katie Maney. Medhus and Bower were named to the 2024 All-RMAC Second Team, while Berg and Maney earned Gold Glove roster spots. MSU Denver finished the 2024 season with a 43-18 overall record, earning the No. 3 seed in the RMAC Softball Tournament.

The 2025 season begins on Friday, January 31. The conference regular season will begin on February 14 as Colorado Christian travels to New Mexico Highlands, with the rest of the league will begin conference play the following day. That begins an 11-week push toward the 2025 RMAC Softball Championship, which will take place May 1-3 on the campus of the highest seed and will include the regular season’s top six teams. 

Aubree Davis, Sophomore, Pitcher, Adams State

Alyssa Wong, Redshirt Sophomore, Utility, Black Hills State

Lauren Zimmerman, Senior, Infielder, Chadron State

Emma Duncan, Senior, Pitcher, Colorado Christian

Kaila Eastburn, Graduate Student, Pitcher, Colorado Christian

Leah Garcia, Junior, Shortstop, Colorado Christian

Elyse McMullin, Sophomore, Pitcher, Colorado Christian

Myah Arrieta, Senior, Infielder, Colorado Mesa

Preslee Christensen, Senior, Pitcher, Colorado Mesa

Ally Distler, Senior, Catcher, Colorado Mesa

Kendall Aragon, Junior, Outfielder, Colorado School of Mines

Caitlyn Cole, Junior, Utility, CSU Pueblo

Amiee Shanks, Senior, Pitcher, Fort Lewis

Mike Berg, Senior, Infielder, MSU Denver

Genevieve Bower, Senior, Catcher/Utility, MSU Denver

Katie Maney, Senior, Outfielder, MSU Denver

Jenna Medhus, MSU Denver

Karla Banegas, Senior, Infielder, New Mexico Highlands

Kylie Harpman, Senior, Pitcher, Regis

Gianna Pancost, Sophomore, Catcher/Utility, UCCS