Oregon softball debuts at No. 5 in preseason poll

Published 1:42 pm Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Oregon softball's Lyndsey Grein (33) pitches against Michigan during the 2025 season. Grein, along with fellow starting pitcher Elise Sokolsky, make up a lethal starting rotation for the Ducks headed into 2026. (CMG Photo: Jaime Valdez)

After earning its first Women’s College World Series berth since 2018 last season, Oregon softball debuted at No. 5 in ESPN.com and USA Softball’s preseason top-25 poll on Tuesday.

The 2026 Ducks, dubbed “Version Eight” by seventh-year head coach Melyssa Lombardi, look to pick up where 2025’s “Version Seven” left off. The 2025 Ducks posted a 54-10 record in their first season as Big Ten Conference members. They reached Oklahoma City, the perennial site of the WCWS, after winning the Eugene Regional and sweeping Liberty in the super regional.

At the WCWS, a game-one loss to No. 9 UCLA placed the Ducks in the losers bracket. An extra-innings win over No. 17 Ole Miss kept them alive, before a 4-1 loss to No. 2 Oklahoma ended their season. It was the seventh WCWS trip in Oregon softball history, and Lombardi’s first as the Ducks’ head coach.

Oregon softball’s roster changes

Heading into 2026, Oregon returns a lethal pair of right-handed starting pitchers. Redshirt-senior Elise Sokolsky and senior Lyndsey Grein anchored the Ducks’ rotation a season ago and look to do so again this spring. Grein (30-3, 2.21 ERA) earned first-team all-conference honors behind a team-high 190.1 innings and 236 strikeouts. Sokolsky (17-5, 2.09 ERA) fanned 132 over 151 innings and led the Ducks with five saves.

Oregon’s outfield will have a new look in 2026 after the Luschar sisters’ — Kai and Kedre — eligibility expired in 2025. The pair anchored left and center field and finished No. 1 (Kai) and No. 2 (Kedre) in hits, with 86 and 83, respectively. Paige Sinicki, a 2024 Gold Glover at shortstop and first-round pick in the AUSL draft, also graduated after batting .376 as a senior.

The Ducks, however, have fresh blood aplenty to tap into. Oregon’s home run leader, first baseman Rylee McCoy, returns for her sophomore season after bashing 19 bombs and driving in a team-high 59 runs. Second baseman Kaylynn Jones (.345/.417/.425) and utility bat Stefani Ma’ake (.297/.355/.600) also return for the 2026 campaign after earning all-freshman honors from the Big Ten last season.

Oregon softball opens the 2026 season in Clearwater, Florida at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. The Ducks play five games over the three-day tournament, facing Missouri, No. 12 Clemson, No. 23 Liberty, No. 4 Tennessee and Southeastern Louisiana.

Oregon’s home-opener at Jane Sanders Stadium is slated for Feb. 27, against Stetson.

Game One: No. 5 Oregon (0-0) vs. Missouri (0-0)

When: Friday, Feb. 6

Where: Eddie C. Moore Complex; Clearwater, Florida

Time: 10 a.m. (PT)

TV: N/A

Radio: KWVA

ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason top-25 poll

T-1. Texas (14)

T-1. Texas Tech (11)

3. Oklahoma

4. Tennessee

5. Oregon

6. Florida

7. Florida State

8. Arkansas

9. Nebraska

10. UCLA

11. Texas A&M

12. Clemson

13. LSU

14. South Carolina

15. Georgia

16. Alabama

17. Stanford

18. Arizona

19. Duke

20. Oklahoma State

21. Virginia Tech

22. Ole Miss

23. Liberty

24. Mississippi State

25. Washington