BRIDGEWATER, N.J. - The Long Island University softball team was selected to finish first in the NEC preseason coaches' poll, the league announced on Friday. LIU received five first-place votes in the poll. 

The Sharks enter the 2026 season under first-year head coach Rich Calvert, who takes over the program following a successful 21-year tenure at Drake University. Calvert amassed 569 wins with the Bulldogs, the most in program history, and currently ranks fifth in the history of the Missouri Valley Conference.  

Following the Sharks in the poll was Central Connecticut State University (two first-place votes), FDU (two first-place votes), Wagner College, Le Moyne College, Saint Francis University, Stonehill College, Mercyhurst University, and the University of New Haven. 

This year's roster features 12 returning Sharks from the 2025 season, including All-NEC award recipients Kaylee Clarkson (first team), Lily Hinkle (first team), Sophia Mariottini (second team), Alyssa Garcia (second team), and Hannah Burnett (all-rookie team). 

The Sharks come into the 2026 season following a successful 2025 campaign, amassing a 26-23 overall record and a 16-5 mark in NEC contests. The 2025 NEC regular season champions reached the championship game of last season's NEC Softball Tournament. 

LIU opens the 2026 season at the FGCU Kickoff Classic, taking on Florida Gulf Coast University on Feb. 6 at 5:30 p.m.