By: Nash Loibl, Advanced Graduate Assistant / Strategic Communications

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado Christian, the reigning 2025 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference softball regular-season and tournament champions, picked up right where they left off by earning the top spot in the 2026 RMAC Softball Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

Colorado Christian’s Elyse McMullin and Colorado Mesa’s Jessalyn Gallegos headline the Preseason All-Conference Team, with McMullin entering the season as the reigning RMAC Player of the Year and Gallegos coming off a Freshman of the Year campaign. Colorado State University Pueblo’s Caitlyn Cole and Colorado Mesa’s Makayla Westmoreland join McMullin as returners from the 2025 First-Team All-RMAC roster.

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference 2026 Preseason Softball Coaches’ Poll
PL	Team	1sts	2nds	3rds	Points
1.	Colorado Christian	7	4	-	117
2.	Colorado Mesa	3	5	2	109
3.	MSU Denver	2	2	5	102
4.	UCCS	-	-	5	87
5.	CSU Pueblo				75
6.	Colorado School of Mines				68
7.	Black Hills State				64
8.	Regis	-	1	-	57
9.	New Mexico Highlands				35
10.	Fort Lewis				32
11.	Chadron State				30
12.	Adams State				16
Notes: Coaches were not permitted to vote for their team. 11 points for a 1st place vote, 10 for a 2nd, etc. 121 points maximum in softball.

The Cougars claimed the No. 1 spot in the 2026 RMAC Softball Preseason Coaches’ Poll with 117 points, highlighted by seven first-place votes and four second-place votes. Under the guidance of head coach Larry Hays, Colorado Christian closed the 2025 season with a 44-16 overall record and a dominant 36-8 mark in conference play. Powered by a strong regular-season performance, CCU secured the RMAC regular-season title and the right to host the 2025 RMAC Softball Championship. With home-field advantage, the Cougars defeated the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, 5-3, before knocking off Colorado Mesa twice, 4-2 and 6-0, to capture the RMAC Softball Championship crown and an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA DII Softball Championship Tournament. With a handful of returners, including the reigning RMAC Player of the Year, the Cougars look to repeat the success they found last season.

Colorado Mesa, the runner-up at the 2025 RMAC Softball Championship, sits second in the Coaches’ Poll with 109 points, thanks to three first-place votes, five second-place votes, and two third-place votes. Metropolitan State University of Denver follows at No. 3 with 102 points, collecting the remaining two first-place votes along with two seconds and five thirds.

The University of Colorado Colorado Springs earned the No. 4 spot with 87 points, highlighted by five third-place votes, while CSU Pueblo rounded out the top five with 75 points.

Colorado School of Mines claimed sixth place with 68 points, edging out Black Hills State at No. 7 with 64 points. Regis checked in at No. 8 with 57 points, including one second-place vote. New Mexico Highlands (35), Fort Lewis (32), Chadron State (30), and Adams State (16) completed the preseason poll.

McMullin is coming off an outstanding 2025 campaign that culminated in her taking home the prestigious RMAC Softball Player of the Year award. The Issaquah, Washington, native led the conference in hits (84) while posting a .398 batting average, driving in 59 runs, and scoring 51 times. She was equally dominant in the circle, compiling 15 wins with a 2.79 ERA, holding opponents to a .241 batting average, and recording 68 strikeouts.

Gallegos, the reigning RMAC Freshman of the Year, returns for the Mavericks after a dominant 2025 season. She posted a 2.20 ERA and a .242 opponent batting average while logging 175.1 innings and striking out 163 hitters. Her immediate impact in the circle was instrumental in guiding the Mavs to a 40-17 overall record, including a dominant 35-9 mark in conference play.

Cole and Westmoreland join McMullin as the only returners from last season’s First-Team All-RMAC selections, with both student-athletes seeking repeat honors in 2026. Cole closed the year with a .389 batting average, a .672 slugging percentage, and an exceptional .500 on-base percentage. Westmoreland recorded 182 plate appearances, posting a .324 average with 24 RBI. Defensively, she was equally reliable, recording a .986 fielding percentage with 62 putouts.

The RMAC’s 12 softball teams are looking to wrap up the season at Frost Stadium at Warner Park in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the site for the 2026 NCAA Division II Softball Championship. The NCAA Softball Tournament begins on May 28 in Chattanooga, with the championship game set to take place on June 3. Ticket information for the national championship will be available at NCAA.com at a later date.

All RMAC softball games broadcast by its 12 softball-sponsoring member institutions will only be available for purchase via a single-game pass or a monthly or annual subscription. Revenue generated by the network will be redistributed to the league’s membership to enhance their programs.

A discounted annual subscription price will be available to students, faculty, and staff of each member institution throughout the year. Additionally, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is presenting its third RMAC Network “Peak Pricing” sale, beginning Thursday and available until Friday, Jan. 30. During the sale, fans can purchase the final months of an annual subscription for 25% off using the code RMACSPRING26 during the purchasing process. Purchasing options and pricing for individual RMAC Championships will be announced closer to each event.

2026 Preseason All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference: Softball
Pos.	Player	School	Yr.	Hometown
P	Jessalyn Gallegos (FoTY, 2)	Colorado Mesa	R-So.	Anaheim, California
P	Natalie Romero (2)	MSU Denver	Jr.	Anaheim, California
C	Desi Hernandez (H)	Black Hills State	So.	Amarillo, Texas
1B	Tayler McCombs (H)	UCCS	So.	Gilbert, Arizona
2B	Peyton Marvel (H)	Colorado Christian	So.	Lakewood, Colorado
3B	Carly Reyes Mims (H)	Black Hills State	So.	Meridian, Idaho
SS	Madelyn Huerta (2, G)	CSU Pueblo	Sr.	Azusa, California
OF	Makayla Westmoreland (1)	Colorado Mesa	Sr.	Murrieta, California
OF	Caitlyn Cole (1)	CSU Pueblo	Sr.	Merced, California
OF	Kendall Aragon (2)	Colorado School of Mines	Sr.	Thornton, Colorado
DP	Gianna Pancost (2)	UCCS	Jr.	Tucson, Arizona
UTL	Jennavieve Goldsworth (H)	UCCS	Jr.	Roseville, California
UTP	Elyse McMullin (PoTY, 1)	Colorado Christian	Jr.	Issaquah, Washington
Symbols in parentheses are 2025 All-RMAC Recognitions: PoTy was the Player of the Year; FoTY was the Freshman of the Year; 1 -was a First Team All-RMAC selection; 2 - was a Second Team All-RMAC selection; H - was an Honorable Mention All-RMAC selection; G- was a Gold Glove selection.

 
 

About the RMAC The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 67 national championships and 53 national runners-up since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.