D1Softball Release

FULLERTON, Calif. – The Cal State Fullerton softball program has been ranked No. 11 in D1Softball's 2026 Preseason Mid-Major Rankings, the publication announced Monday morning. This announcement comes a week after infielder Ava Arce and pitcher Trisha McCleskey were named to its Preseason Mid-Major D100 Player Rankings. 

The Titans earned the highest preseason ranking among Big West programs, checking in at No. 11 ahead of the No. 15 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, the 2025 inaugural Big West champions.

Head coach Gina Oaks Garcia returns a mighty group of veterans that features seven first-year student-athletes and a speedy transfer in Sophia Newcomb from Sonoma State. The Titans welcome back senior infielder Ava Arce,  sophomore utility Nataly Lozano, and 2024 NFCA Gold Glove recipient Kate Verhoef. 

Arce, who ranked No. 47 in D1Softball's 2025 Postseason Mid-Major D100 Player Rankings, received multiple postseason awards last season, including being named the Big West Field Player of the Year, NFCA Second Team All-West Region and First Team All-Big West honors. 

Lozano followed in Arce's footsteps, being named Big West Freshman Field Player of the Year after slashing .380/.428/.583 with seven home runs, 44 RBI, 15 walks and seven stolen bases in 10 attempts. 

In the circle, Oaks Garcia returns right-handers Trisha McCleskey, a First Team All-Big West honoree, and Eva Hurtado, the Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year. 

The Titans host their annual Leadoff Social fundraiser on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 5 p.m. in the Titan Student Union. Oaks Garcia and her 2026 squad open the season at home with the Easton Classic against Ole Miss on Feb. 5 at 5 p.m. 

SUPPORT THE TITANS!
Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitansTickets.com. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan Baseball ticketing office and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday.

FOLLOW THE TITANS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan Athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook/FullertonTitans), X (@FullertonTitans), Instagram (@FullertonTitans), YouTube (FullertonTitansAthletics) and TikTok (@FullertonTitans). In addition, the softball team has established its own Instagram (@Fullerton_sb) and X accounts (@Fullerton_sb).

WATCH THE TITANS ON ESPN+
Titans fans can now watch home contests exclusively on ESPN+. Cal State Fullerton has built a top-tier production studio to give the viewers an ESPN-quality production for Titans Athletics. Additionally, all schools in the Big West Conference are committed to producing ESPN-quality streams, which will allow fans to watch the Titans on ESPN+ for all road conference games.