University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Selected to Finish Second in BIG EAST Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1/16/2026 5:11:00 PM | Softball
NEW YORK – UConn softball has been voted to finish in second place in the 2026 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll announced on Friday afternoon. St. John's was selected as the preseason favorite with six first-place votes, while the Huskies received one first-place vote amongst BIG EAST softball coaches. SEASON TICKETS
The reigning conference champions enter the 2026 season under seventh-year head coach Laura Valentino with championship expectations once again, aiming to build on last year's success. Valentino has led the Huskies to four straight 30-win seasons and has steadily brought UConn back to the national spotlight, earning the program's first NCAA Tournament berth since 2001 during the 2025 season.
The Huskies ran away with the BIG EAST Tournament championship powering their way to the title by outscoring their opponents 35-9 across three games. In the championship game against Creighton, UConn set a conference record with 18 runs scored, the most ever scored by a single team in the conference's championship history, highlighted by a 12-run second inning en route to the program's eighth BIG EAST Tournament title.
UConn returns junior outfielder Kaitlyn Breslin (Hopkinton, Mass.) and reigning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Cat Petteys (Vestal, N.Y.) both of whom recorded double digit home runs last season for the Huskies. Breslin enjoyed a breakout sophomore campaign, slugging 16 home runs and driving in 53 runs while posting an impressive .370/.450/.734 slash line. Petteys made an immediate impact in her rookie season, starting 53 games at shortstop in 2025, posting a .400 batting average with 15 home runs, and 48 runs batted in. In addition to winning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors, Petteys was named a Second Team Freshman All-American by D1 Softball.
UConn begins its quest to repeat as conference champions with a tough non-conference schedule from early February into March, highlighted by a three-game series at No. 13 Arkansas from March 20-22.
UConn will start BIG EAST play on the road against the preseason favorites St. John's from March 6-8. The Huskies will then head to Seton Hall (Mar. 13-15) before returning home to Burrill Family Field for their first conference home series against DePaul (Mar. 27-29). The rest of the home conference schedule consists of Villanova (Apr. 2-4), Providence (Apr. 17-19), and Creighton (Apr. 24-26), while the Huskies will travel to Butler (Apr. 10-12), and Georgetown (May 1-3) to close out the regular season slate.
Results (First Place Votes)
1. St. John's – 62 (6)
T2. Creighton – 51 (2)
T2. UConn – 51 (1)
4. Villanova – 50
5. Providence – 32
6. Butler – 31
7. Seton Hall – 24
8. DePaul – 15
9. Georgetown - 8
