Liberty Voted 1st in CUSA Preseason Softball Poll

LYNCHBURG, Va. - Liberty was predicted to finish first in the Conference USA Preseason Softball Poll. The poll was voted on by all 12 of the conference's head coaches.

This is the eighth year in a row in which Liberty has been voted No. 1 in its preseason softball poll. The Lady Flames were named the favorite in the ASUN in all five seasons in that conference and all three years so far in the CUSA.

Liberty placed four players on the CUSA Preseason All-Conference Team, including redshirt senior infielder Savanah Whatley, redshirt junior catcher Savannah Jessee, junior pitcher Kaylan Yoder and junior outfielder Paige Doerr. Liberty's four preseason all-conference selections led all CUSA programs.

Two-time defending CUSA champion Liberty was voted as the preseason favorite, receiving 11 first-place votes and 142 points. Louisiana Tech finished second in the voting with 121 points, while 2025 CUSA Softball Championship runner-up Jacksonville State was voted fourth with 110 points. Western Kentucky received one first-place vote and 105 points, good for fourth.

Sam Houston earned fifth place with 86 points, followed by CUSA newcomer Delaware (79). FIU (72), New Mexico State (65) and Middle Tennessee (55) were listed seventh through ninth, in that order. Conference newcomer Missouri State and UTEP were tied for 10^th with 42 points apiece, followed in 12^th by Kennesaw State (17).

A native of Coburg, Ore., Doerr was Liberty's top postseason run producer last year during her first season as a Lady Flame after transferring from Oregon State. A CUSA All-Academic Team and CUSA All-Tournament Team player, Doerr batted .346 with nine doubles, 31 RBI, 29 runs and 17 stolen bases. She had at least one hit in each of Liberty's first eight games of 2025, and her 13-game hitting streak (March 26-April 17) was Liberty's longest of the season. In the final 10 games of the season, Doerr led Liberty with 13 RBI, including six RBI in the CUSA Tournament and seven in the NCAA Postseason.

Jessee, hailing from Jonesborough, Tenn., was named to the CUSA All-Conference first team as a redshirt sophomore in 2025. For the season, she batted .290 with six doubles, three homers and 27 RBI. The catcher hit .367 with a .429 on base percentage and .551 slugging percentage during CUSA play. She recorded 10 multiple-hit games, including one three-hit contest, while posting five multiple-RBI games. Jessee hit a game-tying, two-out, two-run homer in the sixth inning of an "if-necessary" game at the 2025 NCAA Bryan-College Station Regional, sparking Liberty's five-run sixth in a 6-5 win over No. 1 Texas A&M.

Whatley, a native of Oakley, Calif., made an immediate impact in her first season after transferring from Oregon State. The 2025 CUSA Newcomer of the Year, Whatley was also voted to the NFCA All-Mid-Atlantic Region second team as a shortstop. She batted .349 with a .451 on base percentage and .505 slugging percentage overall. For the season, she recorded 11 multiple-hit games, including one three-hit game and Liberty's only four-hit contest of the season. Whatley went 2-for-3 in Liberty's season-opening 3-2 win over Radford, delivering a walk-off RBI single. She hit .333 while tying for second on the team with five runs scored at the 2025 NCAA Bryan-College Station Regional.

Hailing from Greenwood, Del., Yoder went 9-6 overall with a 2.62 ERA last season, posting a 7-2 record and a 1.99 ERA in conference games. She tied for the CUSA lead in overall opponents' batting average (.202), while ranking fourth in ERA (2.62). Yoder struck out a career-high 11 batters in a 3-2 win over Kennesaw State. She tossed 6 2/3 innings of shutout relief at Western Kentucky, with her 10 strikeouts being the most by a Liberty reliever in program history. Yoder closed out the biggest win in program history with a five-out save in the "if-necessary" game at the NCAA Bryan-College Station Regional, clinching Liberty's first-ever trip to the Super Regionals.

The Lady Flames finished the 2025 season with a 50-15 record, setting a new program record for single-season victories. Liberty won both the Conference USA regular-season and tournament titles for the second year in a row. The team made history at the 2025 NCAA Bryan-College Station Regional, winning two out of three games against No. 1 Texas A&M to earn its first-ever Super Regional appearance. The Lady Flames were the first team in the Super Regional era to knock out the No. 1 national seed in the Regional round.

Conference newcomer Delaware will host the 2026 CUSA Softball Championship, May 5-9 in Newark, Del. The winner of the CUSA Softball Championship will earn the conference's automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division I Softball Championship.

Liberty opens its 2026 season against Tennessee on Feb. 6 at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla.

2026 CUSA Preseason Coaches Poll
Team (First-Place Votes) Points
1. Liberty (11) 142
2. Louisiana Tech 121
3. Jacksonville State 110
4. Western Kentucky (1) 105
5. Sam Houston 86
6. Delaware 79
7. FIU 72
8. New Mexico State 65
9. Middle Tennessee 55
10T. Missouri State 42
10T. UTEP 42
12. Kennesaw State 17

CUSA Softball Preseason Player of the Year
Reagan Marchant, Louisiana Tech

CUSA Softball Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Allie Floyd, Louisiana Tech

CUSA Softball Preseason All-Conference Team
Ansley Blevins, Sr., C, Middle Tennessee
Savannah Jessee, R-Jr., C, Liberty
Sydney Shaffer, DP/UT, Delaware
Paige Miller, Jr., INF, FIU
Kailey Martin, So., INF Jacksonville State
Savanah Whatley, R-Sr., INF, Liberty
Reagan Marchant, R-Jr., INF, Louisiana Tech
Jana Want, So., INF, Middle Tennessee
Kally Meredith, Jr., OF, FIU
Emma Elrod, Jr., OF, Jacksonville State
Paige Doerr, Jr., OF, Liberty
Devin Elam, Sr., OF, New Mexico State
Kaylan Yoder, Jr., P, Liberty
Allie Floyd, Sr., P, Louisiana Tech
Abigail Young, Jr., P, Sam Houston

Schedule

Liberty Voted 1st in CUSA Preseason Softball Poll

Players Mentioned

Paige Doerr

Savannah Jessee

Savanah Whatley

Kaylan Yoder