INDIANAPOLIS – Despite falling to the Hillsdale Chargers in the Great Midwest Tournament Champion game in a no-contest ruling, the Tiffin Dragons enter the 2026 season topping preseason polls.
 
Preseason polls were released on Thursday, January 22 with the Dragons ranking first out of 13 teams in the conference.  Last season, the Dragons concluded their season 21-3 in the conference with only holding a lose streak of two.
 
Returning to the field for the Dragons is Great Midwest Player and Freshman of the Year is sophomore outfielder Jessica Miller.  During her 2025 campaign, Miller aided the Dragons in the NCAA Midwest Regional and a ranking of 17th nationally.  She led the conference in doubles, on-base percentage, slugging, and total bases while also setting a new Dragons record with 25 doubles. 2025 Coach of the Year Paige McMenemy also returns all-conference selections Ella Esterby and Reagan Mengernik. Esterby was named Pitcher of the Week twice during the 2025 season and posted and ERA of 1.49. Mengernik is another top-returner for the Dragons after leading the team in hits with 84.
 
Trailing behind the Dragons are the Findlay Oilers.  The Oilers concluded the previous season in the NCAA Division II Softball Midwest Regional as they fell to the Ferris State Bulldogs. Despite this loss, the Oilers concluded their season 19-5 in the conference with a third place ranking in softball standings. The Oilers return a depth of talent, including all first-place all-conference selections is Annika Bredel, Kayla Dykin, and Joslynne Frazier. Bredel ranked in the top-10 in the conference in batting average, posting a .373 that included 56 hits, 17 doubles, a triple, and six home runs. Dykin had the second-lowest ERA at 1.23 behind all-American Joni Russell. Joslynne Frazier paced Findlay with seven home runs while driving in 33 runs on the year.
 
Wrapping up the top three is the Hillsdale Chargers. The Chargers enter the season looking to climb the rankings after entering their 2025 campaign at the top and now entering their 2026 campaign at top three.  Helping lead the charge is Chargers Emma Vis as she led the conference in strikeouts with 46.
 
After top three, Ohio Dominican Panthers came in at fourth and Northwood Timberwolves came in at fifth.  The Panthers found an impressive run in the conference tournament after they defeated the top-seeded Dragons.  The Timberwolves look to build off of their previous 16-8 conference record they found during their 2025 season.
 
Trailing behind the Timberwolves is Ashland at sixth, Cedarville at seventh and Malone at eighth.
 
Finally, capping off preseason rankings in ninth through 13th respectively are Walsh, Thomas More, Ursuline, Kentucky Wesleyan and Lake Erie.
 
The 2026 season will begin with a slate of non-conference matchups beginning on January 30^th.
 

Team	Points
Tiffin (11)	156
Findlay (1)	137
Hillsdale (1)	133
Ohio Dominican	122
Northwood	119
Ashland	103
Cedarville	94
Malone	76
Walsh	64
Thomas More	63
Ursuline	50
Kentucky Wesleyan	39
Lake Erie	27