The Linfield Wildcats have been selected as the preseason favorite in the 2026 Northwest Conference (NWC) softball poll, as voted on by the conference’s head coaches.
Linfield earned 47 points and five first-place votes to secure the top spot after capturing both the 2025 NWC regular-season and tournament titles. The Wildcats finished last season with a dominant 25-3 conference record.
Lewis & Clark was picked second with 45 points and three first-place votes, followed by George Fox in third with 36 points. Pacific Lutheran placed fourth with 30 points, while Willamette took fifth with 25 points.
Pacific and Whitworth tied for sixth in the poll with 17 points apiece, and Puget Sound rounded out the voting with seven points.
Northwest Conference play is set to begin on March 7th. The 2026 NWC Softball Tournament will be held May 1-3rd and hosted by the regular-season champion.
|
Team
|
Pts.
|
2025 NWC Finish
|
|
Linfield (5)
|
47
|
1st
|
|
Lewis & Clark (3)
|
45
|
2nd
|
|
George Fox
|
36
|
3rd
|
|
Pacific Lutheran
|
30
|
4th
|
|
Willamette
|
25
|
5th
|
|
Pacific
|
17
|
6th
|
|
Whitworth
|
17
|
7th
|
|
Puget Sound
|
7
|
5th
|
*Numbers in parentheses indicate first place votes.