Image Credits: wcupagoldemrams.com
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) preseason coaches poll was released on Jan. 28 and as a result, West Chester University’s (WCU) Softball Team is looking good heading into the 2026 season, as they were predicted to be ranked No. 5 in the PSAC East.
East Stroudsburg (48-12-1, 26-5-1) was selected to win the East Division again after receiving six first-place votes. Shippensburg (36-22, 19-13) was picked second, followed by Shepherd (28-24-1, 19-12-1), which received one first-place vote. Kutztown (43-19, 21-11) was selected to finish fourth. West Chester (33-19, 18-14) followed, with Bloomsburg (33-21, 19-13) picked sixth. Millersville (22-30, 6-26), Lock Haven (15-27, 9-23) and Mansfield (8-32, 6-26) rounded out the poll.
Last season, the Golden Rams stood at 33-19 overall with a 18-14 conference record. They were placed No. 4 in the Division II Softball Regional Rankings performing strong in the regular season. Despite being ranked No. 4 in the rankings, they slightly missed out on a close chance to claim a spot in the PSAC Tournament.
Last season, the Golden Rams had three fired bats going as Mairead Hopkins, Paige Marabell and Danielle Cilliberto all batted .345, .340 and .315.
Marabell led the team in home runs and RBI (runs batted in) with 13 home runs, but also 13 doubles and a triple, hitting in 48 RBI’s.
Hopkins had herself a fun and entertaining sophomore season, combining 17 doubles and nine home runs, bringing in 34 RBI’s. Hopkins was tied with Casey Best as they were the second best on the team.
Let’s talk about a dual athlete. Last season, the senior pitcher combined with 41 hits, including five doubles and three home runs, scoring 18 runs and driving in 25, all while being walked 15 times, consistently finding her way on base. Cilliberto is not only a powerhouse hitter, but she is also a defensive power pitcher, striking out batters left and right. She is the team’s top returning arm. She finished her junior season with an 18-7 record and a 1.82 Earned Run Average (ERA). She started and completed 12 straight games, one including a shut out performance, and three saves for her and her team. Wearing and representing West Chester University means a lot to the Golden Ram family. She pitched a total of 165.1 innings and struck out 104 batters, holding her opponents to a .258 batting average.
The sophomore pitcher, Alyssa Tooley had a standout rookie performance in 2025. WCU will be looking for more of her to appear in more games this season, as she appeared in 18 games and started five games and she was only a freshman. Her record as a pitcher was 5-1 along with a save and an ERA of 2.93 combined for 40.2 innings. During her rookie season, she struck out 29 batters and her opponents held a .261 batting average when facing her in the box.
The Golden Rams competed in a PSAC East tournament, as they held a record of 23-12 overall and 9-9 in their conference, going into tournament play. They lost two games and won one game during postseason competition. On May 8, 2025 the Rams traveled to Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, to face the No. 4 seed Shippensburg falling short 4-3. On May 10, they returned to Stroudsburg for a doubleheader. The Golden Rams started off with a win against Bowie State University, but later lost to East Stroudsburg, ending its postseason run.
West Chester started its fresh 2026 season on the road to North Carolina on Feb. 14. They will begin their season against Fairmont State and Barton, with the first pitch starting at noon. The West Chester softball will be the first spring team in action for WCU this season.
Caroline Rudderow is a Media and Culture Major. cr1040239@wcupa.edu