GORHAM, Maine – The University of Southern Maine Huskies' softball team has been picked to finish fourth in the 2026 Little East Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Huskies earned 41 points finishing one-point behind third place selection Plymouth State University. Eastern Connecticut State University received eight first place votes and 64 points as the predicted top seed. UMass Boston earned one first-place vote and is picked to finish second.
Led by veteran head coach
Sarah Jamo, entering her 14
th season at the helm of the Huskies in the 2026 season, Southern Maine returns seven seniors and key players from last season's squad that finished 20-20 overall and 10-6 in the Little East Conference. Among the key returners are first-team All-Conference selections
Mia Coots and
Kendall Migliorini.
After an outstanding rookie campaign, Coots earned a spot on the LEC first team as one of the Huskies primary pitchers. Appearing in 24 games, Coots fired a team-high 129.1 innings with a 2.54 ERA with a record of 12-9 and one save. Tallying 105 strikeouts in her first season, Coots had a season-best 10 strikeouts in a 5-0 shutout victory over VTSU-Castleton. Coots earned four of her 12 victories via the shutout, ranking her 70
th in all of NCAA Division III softball, while her 105 strikeouts are in the 100. Coots was also named the Maine College Baseball & Softball Association (MCBSA) Rookie of the Year, and earned first team All-State honors.
Earning first team All-LEC honors in 2025, Migliorini was a second team MCBSA All-State selection. Migliorini led the Huskies in batting average hitting a team-best .297. (33-for-111) with a team-high 23 RBI. Collecting 14 doubles and three home runs during the season, she had a .505 slugging percentage, and scored 21 runs. Playing in all 40 games, Migliorini started 38 and played strong defense as the Huskies' first basemen fielding .987 with 287 putouts and eight assists and was involved in three double-plays. Setting career-highs in batting average, hits, doubles and home runs as well as RBI, Migliorini had nine games with at least two hits, led by a 3-for-4 effort with four RBI against WestConn to close out the regular season.
The Huskies also return senior center fielder
Ella Bezanson, the Huskies' lead off hitter in 2025 who hit at a .370 clip in-conference action, veteran shortstop senior
Olivia Levasseur, and catcher/third base senior
Mackenzie Renner.
The Huskies are slated to start their 2026 in Florida at The Spring Games. Southern Maine opens its season on March 14 against Rutgers-Camden (11:00 am) and then faces Ursinus College (1:15 pm). Southern Maine's first home doubleheader of the season is slated for Wednesday, March 25 (3:00 pm) against University of New England.
| 2026 Little East Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll (FPV) |
| 1. |
Eastern Connecticut |
64 points |
(8) |
| 2. |
UMass Boston |
50 points |
(1) |
| 3. |
Plymouth State |
42 points |
|
| T4. |
Southern Maine |
41 points |
|
| T4. |
UMass Dartmouth |
41 points |
|
| 6. |
Western Connecticut |
29 points |
|
| 7. |
Vermont State Castleton |
23 points |
|
| 8. |
Keene State |
18 points |
|
| 9. |
Rhode Island College |
16 points |
|
-cac-
