SAN DIEGO – The Mountain West Conference announced its 2026 Softball Preseason Poll and Honors on Thursday. Three Aztecs, infielders Lala Macario and Quinn Waiki, and outfielder Julie Holcomb were selected among 12 position players named to the Preseason Team. In the Preseason Poll, SDSU was picked to finish third out of ten teams.
San Diego State’s three players on the Preseason Team are tied for the second most in the conference with Nevada and one behind Grand Canyon’s league-leading four.
This is the third season that the conference has a preseason team. San Diego State led the league in 2024 and 2025. Last year, Preseason Pitcher of the Year Cece Cellura, Cali Decker and Dee Dee Hernandez made the squad. The year prior, SDSU had four on the team: Decker, Bella Espinoza, Preseason Player of the Year Mac Barbara and Preseason Pitcher of the Year Allie Light.
In her 16 games last season before suffering a season-ending injury, Macario was hitting .465 and starting every game at second base. She reached base in 15 of her 16 games and hit .500 during the Aztecs 5-0 run at the Clearwater Invitational, earning Mountain West Player of the Week honors. Macario was named to the NFCA All-West Region Third Team in 2024, her last full season.
An All-Mountain West Second Team and All-Mountain West Tournament Team selection in 2025, Holcomb was the primary center fielder for SDSU. She appeared in every game but one and started 48 games in the outfield. Holcomb’s .370 batting average and three triples led all qualified hitters for the Aztecs. In the first game of championship Saturday of the Mountain West Tournament, she hit a two-RBI triple and scored on a squeeze play in a 3-1 win over Fresno State.
Waiki was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year last season, becoming the first freshman and second Aztec player to do so. She started every game at shortstop and finished the season 36th in the NCAA in assists with 123 and 84th nationally in assists per game with 2.16. Offensively, Waiki was the only Aztec with a multi-homer game in 2025, hitting a pair of two-run shots in a 10-8 win at Boise State on April 18 to win Mountain West Freshman of the Week honors.
In the preseason poll, the Aztecs fell to third place for the first time since 2021 after two consecutive seasons as the unanimous first place pick. 2026 marks the 24th time in the last 25 years that the Aztecs were picked in the top three spots.
Grand Canyon picked up six first-place votes to lead with 77 points, ahead of Nevada’s four first-place votes and 73 points. Behind SDSU’s 68 points, Boise State tallied 54 points and Utah State received 44 to round out the top half of the conference.
Preseason Team – Players (12):
Kaylynn English, Jr., SS, Colorado State
Jada Cooper, So., DH/UT, Grand Canyon
Emily Gonzalez, Sr., 1B, Grand Canyon
Savannah Kirk, Jr., 2B, Grand Canyon
Madison Clark, Jr., 2B, Nevada
Haylee Engelbrecht, Sr., SS, Nevada
Lala Macario, Sr., 2B, San Diego State
Julie Holcomb, Jr., CF, San Diego State
Quinn Waiki, So., SS, San Diego State
Ahmiya Noriega, Sr., 2B, San Jose State
Grace Matej, Sr., C, Utah State
Kya Pratt, Sr., RF, Utah State
Preseason Team - Pitchers (3):
Taryn Batterton, Jr., Grand Canyon
Hailey McLean, Sr., Nevada
Yanina Sherwood, So., UNLV
Player of the Year: Savannah Kirk, Jr., 2B, Grand Canyon
Pitcher of the Year: Hailey McLean, Sr., Nevada
Predicted Order of Finish (1st Place Votes) - Points:
1. Grand Canyon (6) - 77
2. Nevada (4) - 73
3. San Diego State - 68
4. Boise State - 54
5. Utah State - 44
6. Fresno State - 37
7. Colorado State - 26
T8. New Mexico - 25
T8. UNLV - 25
10. San Jose State - 21