RUSTON – Conference USA released its 2026 softball preseason awards and poll Thursday afternoon, highlighted by
Reagan Marchant and
Allie Floyd being named the CUSA Preseason Player and Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
The duo was also named to the Preseason All-Conference team, with Floyd selected as a pitcher and Marchant as an infielder.
Floyd, a senior from Texas, is set for her fourth season in a Bulldog uniform after earning First Team All-CUSA honors in 2025. The right-hander finished the season 22-13 in the circle with a 2.78 ERA, appearing in 41 games with 28 starts. Floyd led CUSA in wins (22), strikeouts (182), innings pitched (204.0), appearances (41) and complete games (18). She recorded 13 conference wins to set a new LA Tech single-season record and became the first Bulldog pitcher to register 150+ strikeouts in a single season since 2011. Floyd also tallied 20 outings with five or more strikeouts.
She earned two top-25 wins on the year, including a complete-game, one-hit, one-run performance with nine strikeouts against No. 17 Auburn, along with a victory over No. 4 Oklahoma State at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge after limiting the Cowgirls to one run on seven hits.
Marchant returns for her second season at Tech after starting 56 games a year ago. The South Carolina transfer broke the LA Tech single-season home run record in 2025 with 18. She batted .313 with 50 hits, 18 home runs, 11 doubles, one triple, 53 RBI and 33 runs scored. Marchant recorded 30 extra-base hits and was the only Bulldog to total more than 100 bases (117).
Marchant became just the third player in program history to register at least 50 hits and 50 RBI in a single season. The primary first baseman tallied 11 multi-hit games and 18 multi-RBI performances, including four three-RBI games and two three-hit outings. Defensively, she recorded a .992 fielding percentage with 342 putouts, eight assists and three errors.
The Bulldogs were picked to finish second in the CUSA with 121 total votes. Liberty is picked to finish first with 142 votes, followed by LA Tech (121), Jax State (110) and WKU (105).
Fifth-year head coach
Josh Taylor will aim to guide the Bulldogs to their fifth consecutive 30+ win season after finishing 32-25 last season. The Bulldogs will open their season with four games in the Southern Miss Black and Gold Challenge in Hattiesburg, Miss., Feb. 6-8.
2026 CUSA Softball Preseason Poll
| Rank |
School (first-place votes) |
Total |
| 1. |
Liberty (11) |
142 |
| 2. |
LA Tech |
121 |
| 3. |
Jax State |
110 |
| 4. |
WKU (1) |
105 |
| 5. |
Sam Houston |
86 |
| 6. |
Delaware |
79 |
| 7. |
FIU |
72 |
| 8. |
NM State |
65 |
| 9. |
MTSU |
55 |
| t10. |
Missouri State |
42 |
| t10. |
UTEP |
42 |
| 12. |
Kennesaw State |
17 |
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