PITMAN, NJ -- The Rowan Softball Team was selected the favorites in the 2026 New Jersey Athletic Conference Coaches Preseason Poll.

NJAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL

The sixth-ranked Profs picked up nine of the 10 first-place votes, ahead of second-place TCNJ, who garnered the other first-place vote. Ramapo was slotted third, with Stockton in fourth, Kean in fifth, Montclair State in sixth, William Paterson, the dark horse pick, was slated in seventh. Rutgers-Newark (eighth), Rutgers-Camden (ninth), and New Jersey City (tenth) rounded out the poll respectively.

Rowan enters the 2026 season coming off its third-straight appearance in the Division III World Series, a program-best 49-4 record, and a 31-game winning streak. The squad won its 13th NJAC Crown, its third in the last four years, and hosted both the NCAA Regional and Super Regional rounds in Glassboro. The Profs captured its 13th NJAC title and its third in the last four seasons as well.

All-American pitcher Emily McCutcheon returns after an outstanding 2025 season where she went 21-2 and owned a 0.90 ERA last year along with 15 complete games and 10 shutouts. She, along with fellow seniors Lindsay Cahill, Kate Evick, Brooke McGuigan, Cami Morgan, and Abigail Pawlowski, are all aiming for another deep run in the postseason. The team welcomes 10 new players including transfer Ava Fisher (East Carolina) for head coach Kim Wilson, who enters her 30th season. Wilson, who became the first female softball coach in Division III history to win 1,000 games, along with her staff were named the NJAC and NFCA Regional Coaching Staffs of the Year.

The 2026 slate takes off this Saturday, February 21st at home as the Profs welcome SUNY-Oneonta. Two weeks after, the team heads to North Carolina for four games at the Grand Slam Triangle Classic featuring a matchup with Salisbury, whom Rowan defeated in the NCAA Super Regional. The following week sees the Profs head to Central Florida to play 12 games on its Spring Break Trip at The Spring Games. NJAC play begins on Saturday, March 28th vs. Montclair State with the NJAC Tournament kicking off on Tuesday, April 28th.