Tampa Selected as Co-Favorite to Win SSC

MELBOURNE, Fla. - The University of Tampa and Saint Leo University were elected as the Sunshine State Conference's 2026 Softball favorites. The Spartans and Lions both received 90 points in a poll voted on by the league's 11 head coaches.

Tampa enters the 2026 season atop the preseason poll for the fifth consecutive year, while Saint Leo joins them in pursuit of its first Sunshine State Conference championship since 2017. The Spartans, who finished as the 2025 national runner-up, have won four straight conference titles and will look to extend that streak to five.

Nova Southeastern University received 81 points and is projected to finish third. Just four points behind the Sharks is Barry University who earned 77 points, earning a fourth-place projection. Eckerd College leads the middle of the pack in fifth with 64 points, while Rollins College sits sixth with 57 points. Florida Tech is projected seventh with 46 points.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is projected to finish in eighth (43), followed by Lynn University (24), Palm Beach Atlantic University (22), and Florida Southern College (11).

Tampa opens its 2026 season on Friday, January 30, against the University of Central Oklahoma in a doubleheader that begins at 4 p.m.

2026 SOFTBALL SCHEDULE

Opening weekend is set for January 30 through February 1 and will feature all 11 Sunshine State Conference Softball teams in action. The regular-season champions will earn an automatic qualification to the NCAA Regional.

Below are the full results of the 2025 Sunshine State Conference preseason coaches' poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their teams (points: 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).

Sunshine State Conference Preseason Softball Poll

Previous Sunshine State Conference Softball Polls