MADISON, Wis.- UW-Oshkosh is the favorite to win the 2026 WIAC softball regular season title, according to a preseason poll conducted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.

Last season Oshkosh finished second in the conference standings before winning the WIAC Tournament and reaching the championship game of the NCAA Division III Oshkosh Regional. The Titans return 14 letterwinners from a squad that went 39-8 a year ago, including a 10-4 mark in the WIAC. The 39 wins were second most in program history and sixth best in conference history.

The Titans, ranked 17th in the 2026 National Fastpitch Coaches Association preseason poll, are seeking the sixth WIAC regular season championship. Oshkosh, which clinched its third conference postseason crown last year, previously won league regular season titles in 1984, 1985, 2007, 2021 and 2024.

Following Oshkosh in the preseason poll are reigning WIAC regular season champion UW-Whitewater in second, UW-Stevens Point third, UW-Eau Claire fourth, UW-Platteville fifth, UW-La Crosse sixth, UW-River Falls seventh and UW-Stout eighth.

Headlining the returners for 13th-year head coach Scott Beyer's Titans are 2025 WIAC Pitcher of the Year Brianna Bougie (Oshkosh/Oshkosh West) and All-WIAC performers Sarah Hammerton (Appleton/Appleton West), Grace Nardi (Marquette, Mich./Negaunee) and Haylie Wittman (Kaukauna/Kaukauna). Hammerton was named to the All-WIAC First Team last season while Nardi and Wittman were selected to the Honorable Mention Team. Wittman also garnered All-WIAC First Team honors in 2024.

Bougie led the entire NCAA, regardless of division, with a 0.72 earned run average last year while compiling a 12-1 record and ranking third nationally with seven saves.

Nardi went 12-2 in the pitcher's circle with a 1.07 ERA to help Oshkosh rank second in the country with a 1.18 team ERA.

Offensively, Hammerton hit .325 with 12 extra-base hits and seven stolen bases, and Wittman batted .288 with 11 extra-base hits. Defensively, Hammerton did not commit an error last season while Wittman played a part in 15 double plays turned for an Oshkosh team that was fifth in the country with a .977 fielding percentage.

The Titans also welcome back position players Amanda Martinek, Mary Kate Quaid (Aurora, Ill./Oswego East) and Olivia Ullman (Denmark/Denmark), who combined to score 55 runs and drive in 57 runs a year ago.

Oshkosh concluded last season ranked 23rd in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll after rattling off winning streaks of 12, 11 and eight games during the regular season; romping to the WIAC Tournament title with a pair of victories; and hosting a Division III Championship regional for the third consecutive year. The Titans advanced to the regional final, falling 3-1 to Stevens Point during the second championship contest.

Defending league regular season champion Whitewater (39-8, 12-2 WIAC) brings back 16 letterwinners, including five prior All-WIAC performers. The Warhawks claimed the Cleveland (Ohio) Regional title at Case Western Reserve University before falling in the Winona (Minn.) Super Regional at Saint Mary's University to finish one win shy of reaching the World Series. Whitewater enters 2026 ranked 11th by the NFCA after concluding 2025 11th nationally.

Stevens Point (31-15, 6-8 WIAC) also came up just short of the World Series last season, losing at eventual national champion Trine University (Mich.) in the Angola Super Regional. The Pointers, who welcome back four All-WIAC performers among 11 returning letterwinners, are 13th in the NFCA preseason poll after finishing 2025 ranked 14th.

Eau Claire (29-16, 7-7 WIAC), Platteville (26-15, 7-7) and La Crosse (22-19, 7-7) all produced winning overall records last year. Eau Claire returns 16 letterwinners, including four previous All-WIAC players. Platteville brings back a league-high 18 letterwinners, including 2025 WIAC Position Player of the Year Melissa Dietz, from a squad that reached the conference tournament championship game a year ago. La Crosse welcomes back four All-WIAC performers among 12 returning letterwinners.

Stout (13-23, 4-10) and River Falls (19-21, 3-11 WIAC) are seeking to return to the WIAC Tournament for the first time since 2024 and 2022, respectively.

The WIAC schedule begins April 10. Each team will play a 14-game conference slate with the top six teams in the standings advancing to the single-elimination WIAC Tournament (presented by Culver's) to be held May 8-10 at the No. 1 seed. The winner of the conference tournament secures an automatic NCAA bid.

The Titans open the 2026 campaign with a pair of games February 28, when they host College of St. Scholastica (Minn.) and Loras College (Iowa) in the UW-Oshkosh Rec Plex Dome. Oshkosh continues its schedule with another two home games on both March 1 and March 7 before making its annual trip to Florida March 19-25.