LOUDONVILLE, NY – Siena Softball is projected to finish among the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's (MAAC) top three for the second consecutive season, as the Saints were picked third in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll released Wednesday. Senior
Emma Petersen and junior
Gracie Goewey were also recognized with Preseason All-MAAC honors following standout 2025 campaigns.
Siena is coming off a program-record 36-win season and its third MAAC Championship Series appearance in the last four years under head coach
Casey Bump. The Saints set single-season program records in 2025 for runs (272), doubles (82), triples (20), RBI (235), walks (180), strikeouts (304), and fielding percentage (.974), and return 17 players from last year's historic squad.
Goewey, a Preseason All-MAAC selection at DP, earned All-MAAC Second Team and MAAC All-Championship Team honors in 2025 after one of the most complete two-way seasons in the league. In the circle, she led Siena and ranked second in the MAAC with a 2.06 ERA, which ranked 32nd nationally and stands as the seventh-lowest single-season mark in program history. Goewey posted an 11-2 record, struck out 109 batters in 91.2 innings, and tied a MAAC single-game record with 16 strikeouts against Saint Peter's. She held opponents to a .235 batting average with a 1.28 WHIP and tossed six complete games. Offensively, Goewey hit .296, led the team with 38 runs, tied for the team lead with six home runs, and drove in 32 runs.
Petersen, a Preseason All-MAAC infielder, also earned All-MAAC Second Team and MAAC All-Championship Team honors after one of the best offensive seasons in program history. She started all 58 games and led Siena with a career-high 60 hits and a .333 batting average. Petersen led the MAAC with 21 doubles—the second-most in a single season in program history—while also pacing the Saints in RBI (44) and total bases (101). She slugged .561 with six home runs, reached base at a .399 clip, led the team with 17 multi-hit games and 13 multi-RBI performances, and recorded a .981 fielding percentage at first base.
Defending MAAC champion Marist was tabbed as the preseason favorite, earning 167 points and 11 of 13 first-place votes. Fairfield (144) narrowly edged Siena (143) for second, with each team receiving one first-place vote.
Iona (117) and Sacred Heart (109) rounded out the top five, followed by Rider (109), Quinnipiac (98), Canisius (91), Merrimack (55), and Manhattan (54). Mount St. Mary's (50), Niagara (29), and Saint Peter's (23) completed the poll.
Marist's Haley Ahr was voted the unanimous MAAC Preseason Player of the Year.
The Saints open the 2026 season at the CSU Kickoff on Friday, Feb. 6, with matchups against St. John's and Charleston Southern.
| 2026 Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| 1 |
Marist |
167 (11) |
| 2 |
Fairfield |
144 (1) |
| 3 |
Siena |
143 (1) |
| 4 |
Iona |
117 |
| 5 |
Sacred Heart |
109 |
| 6 |
Rider |
103 |
| 7 |
Quinnipiac |
98 |
| 8 |
Canisius |
91 |
| 9 |
Merrimack |
55 |
| 10 |
Manhattan |
54 |
| 11 |
Mount St. Mary's |
50 |
| 12 |
Niagara |
29 |
| 13 |
Saint Peter's |
23 |
