RUSSELVILLE, Ark. - With Softball set to open the season at the end of the month, Henderson State was selected seventh in the Great American Conference Preseason Poll, the league announced Wednesday.

Southern Arkansas was selected to defend their 2025 title, with 119 total points and nine first place votes. Oklahoma Baptist sits at second, with 106 points and two first place votes. Harding ranked third in the poll, with 103 points and one first place vote. To round out the top five, Southern Nazarene earned 88 points, while Arkansas Tech and Southeastern Oklahoma State are tied with 79 points each.

The Reddies look to improve from the first season under Head Coach Joel Worthington, where they posted a 30 win season for the first time since 2018 and qualified for the GAC Championship Tournament. Some key contributors return this season, including All-GAC second team honoree Hilary Akers, who led the Reddies in most major offensive categories. Akers' 18 doubles last season are good for second best in program history. Josie Copeland is the other Reddie All-GAC honoree returning this season. Copeland earned an Honorable Mention as she led Henderson in batting average (.389), was second on the team in OPS and third in both home runs and runs batted in. On the mound, Jersey Cabana and Presley Applegate return this season. Applegate led the Reddies with a 2.66 ERA in 55.1 innings pitched allowing 21 earned runs, and led the team in saves with seven. Cabana recorded a 3.46 ERA, allowing 34 earned runs in 88.1 innings, while also recording 48 strikeouts to only 12 walks on the season. Some other key returning players include Macy Hoskins, Jay Albiter, and Josie Golden. 

Henderson State opens the season with a double-header against Missouri S&T at Dee White Field on January 30th. The first pitch for game one is scheduled for 2:00 PM. 


2026 GAC SOFTBALL PRESEASON POLL
 

Team	Total Points	First Place Votes
Southern Arkansas	119	9
Oklahoma Baptist	106	2
Harding	103	1
Southern Nazarene	88
Arkansas Tech	79
Southeastern Oklahoma State	79
Henderson State	52
Southwestern Oklahoma State	51
Arkansas-Monticello	37
Ouachita Baptist	35
East Central	29
Northwestern Oklahoma State	14