2025 Big West Softball Coaches' Preseason Poll & Team | 2025 Schedule
Long Beach State has been picked as the top team in The Big West heading into the 2025 season, as voted by the league's 10 head coaches.   

The Beach (25-29, 22-5 BW) earned 81 points in the poll and claimed the top spot in the poll after being tabbed in second place back-to-back years. LBSU earned nine first-place first votes, the most of any team this year. 

Coaches in the conference also voted on an 11-person Preseason All-Big West team. Long Beach State saw two of its student-athletes make the list with senior infielder Jacquelyn Bickar and senior pitcher Shannon Haddad cracking the preseason team for consecutive seasons. Bickar brought in 13 runs across the infielder's 42 hits a year ago (third on team) earning approval on this year's preseason team. LBSU teammate Haddad sat down twelve batters during the pitcher's five games last season.  

Defending Big West champion Cal State Fullerton was selected as the second-best team heading into the year with 63 points and a first-place vote. The Titans put a pair on the preseason team too with sophomore infielder Sarah Perez and sophomore outfielder Kate Verhoef dotting the list. Perez and Verhoef both capped 2024 off with All-Big West Freshman Team honors. The duo also received Freshman of the Week accolades with Verhoef winning once and Perez hoisting the hardware twice.  

UC Santa Barbara sees itself at the No. 3 spot with a total of 59 points. The Blue and Yellow boast sophomore pitcher/utility Ainsley Waddell as the Co-Freshman of the Year in 2024 after the San Marcos, Calif. native led UCSB in slugging percentage (.523) and RBI (35).  

Hawai'i harnessed the No. 4 position with 52 points, the last team in the league to earn over 50 tallies. Catcher/Infielder Izabella Martinez managed to secure a spot on the list after the senior finished second on UH with 39 hits and earned All-Big West Second Team honors last season.  

Narrow margins sperate the middle of the pack around the conference with Cal Poly at fifth (45 points), UC San Diego at sixth (43) and CSUN (41) residing at seven.  

Pitcher India Caldwell steps back into the circle for as the ace for the Tritons this year. The Fallbrook, Cailf. native spun a 2.63 ERA last season (6th in The Big West) across 178.1 innings of work (1st in The Big West) last year.  

The Matador combination of senior outfielder Mikayla Carman and junior pitcher Lauryn Carranco made way on the team following stud seasons from the two. Carman collected All-Big West First Team accolades after leading CSUN with 56 hits, good enough for sixth best in the conference. Carranco's 103 strikeouts were also sixth best in the conference for the preseason honoree.  

UC Davis, UC Riverside and Cal State Bakersfield round out the 2025 edition of the preseason poll with 38, 17 and 11 points, respectively. 

Reigning Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year Ashley Sawai represents the Aggies alongside a 2.75 ERA a year ago, ranked seventh amongst all student-athletes in The Big West.  

The 2025 Big West conference schedule consists of a 27-game slate, with each side facing all nine opponents in three-game sets starting Friday, March 7. Check listings to see which contests air on ESPN+. Regular season play starts Thursday, Feb. 6 with conference action officially beginning on Friday, March 7.  

The Big West's top six teams will compete for the conference title in the inaugural 2025 Big West Softball Championship, with the champion earning an automatic berth in the NCAA Championship. The four-day double-elimination format sees the top two teams with a first round bye will be the first of its kind in The Big West. 

Three games highlight the first day of competition on Wednesday, May 7 with No. 4 and No. 5 seeds leading off at 1:00 p.m., followed by the No. 3 and No 6 seeds going head-to-head at 4 p.m., with the first elimination game of the championship rounding out Day 1. Action resumes on Thursday, May 8, when the top two teams take to the diamond for their first taste of championship action with an elimination matchup to close out Day 2 and bring the field to four. Friday, May 9 features a winner's bracket showdown, with the victor in that contest advancing to the championship. Two elimination games round out the action as one team will battle back to earn a spot in the championship. 

The championship game will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 10. If the undefeated team loses, a decisive second game will be played approximately 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first to crown the 2025 Big West softball champions.

If recent history is any indication, the inaugural Big West Softball Championship promises to be a competitive affair. Host Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State have battled until the final day of the regular season to determine the conference's champion in each of the past two years. The Titans claimed the regular-season title in 2024 to earn a place in their 32nd postseason field, while the Beach reigned victorious in 2023. Cal State Fullerton has won six of the last eight Big West titles while Long Beach State has earned the other two in 2023 and 2021.  

The 2025 Big West champion will earn the league's automatic berth again this year into the 64-team NCAA Division I Softball Championship. The 2025 WCWS remains at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla., May 29-June 5/6.