Softball Named Early Season Favorites as Five Highlanders Collect Big South Preseason Awards

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Big South Conference announced Wednesday morning the preseason poll, players of the year and all-conference members for the quickly approaching 2026 season. Five Highlanders earned preseason honors, highlighted by Dakota Redmon being named the Preseason Pitcher of the Year.

For the first time since the 2012 season, Radford has been selected as preseason favorites of the Big South receiving five of the possible seven first-place votes. Radford was placed ahead of USC Upstate and Longwood, who each received a first-place vote as well. The preseason ranking is the fifth time in program history the team has been placed at the top.

Entering her sophomore season with the Highlanders, Redmon was named the Big South Preseason Pitcher of the Year coming off one of the best freshman pitching performances by a Highlander in recent history. The reigning Big South Co-Freshman and Pitcher of the Year was also named the 13th best player by D1 Softball in their most recent Top-100 Mid Major player rankings. Redmon is the first Highlander to earn the award since 2013, and the fourth player overall in program history.

The 2026 season marks the third year the Big South has named a preseason all-conference team, with Radford earning a program-history-high five members going into this season including Redmon, Morgan Cooper, Amanda Lee, Kelley Feigen, and Grace Bechtol. Bechtol, Feigen, Redmon, and Cooper all return to the list after earning all-conference honors at the end of the 2025 season while Lee earns her first all-conference award.

2026 BIG SOUTH PRESEASON POLL

Rk.	Team (first-place votes)	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Points
1.	Radford (5)	5	2	-	-	-	-	-	47
2.	USC Upstate (1)	1	4	2	-	-	-	-	41
3.	Longwood (1)	1	-	2	1	3	-	-	30
4.	Winthrop	-	-	3	2	3	-	-	29
5.	Charleston Southern	-	-	-	4	2	-	1	23
6.	Gardner-Webb	-	-	-	-	-	7	-	14
7.	Presbyterian	-	1	-	-	-	-	6	12

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
OF – Taliyah Thomas, Sr., USC Upstate
OF – Sophia Kardatzke, Soph., USC Upstate
OF – Tia Beckham, Jr., Winthrop
OF – Jordyn Dimond, Jr., Charleston Southern
INF – Abby Polk, Jr., USC Upstate
INF – Carson Shaw, Sr., USC Upstate
INF – Sophia Knock, Sr., Lognwood
INF – Charlee Yourman, Sr., Charleston Southern
INF – Amanda Lee, Jr., Radford
C – Kelley Feigen, Jr., Radford
DP – Alli Sitdham, Sr., Gardner-Webb
UTL – Grace Bechtol, Jr., Radford
P – Dakota Redmon, Soph., Radford
P – Maddie Drerup, Sr., USC Upstate
P – Maggie Chapin, Sr., Longwood
P – Morgan Cooper, Jr., Radford

PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Taliyah Thomas, OF, Sr., USC Upstate

PRESEASON PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Dakota Redmon, Soph., Radford

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Players Mentioned

#11 Grace Bechtol: IF; 5' 4"; Sophomore; R/R

#1 Morgan Cooper: RHP; 5' 3"; Sophomore; L/R

#12 Amanda Lee: IF; 5' 6"; Sophomore; R/R

#18 Kelley Feigen: C; 5' 9"; Sophomore; R/R

#15 Dakota Redmon: RHP/IF; 5' 10"; Freshman; R/R

Players Mentioned

#11 Grace Bechtol
: 5' 4"; Sophomore; R/R
: IF

#1 Morgan Cooper
: 5' 3"; Sophomore; L/R
: RHP

#12 Amanda Lee
: 5' 6"; Sophomore; R/R
: IF

#18 Kelley Feigen
: 5' 9"; Sophomore; R/R
: C

#15 Dakota Redmon
: 5' 10"; Freshman; R/R
: RHP/IF