The Virginia Wesleyan University softball team was selected first in the 2026 ODAC Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches. The Marlins received 100 points with 10 first-place votes, followed by Bridgewater with 87 points and one first-place vote, and Randolph-Macon rounds out the top three with 83 points.

The Softball team is set to begin its pursuit of another NCAA Division III National Championship. Entering the season, the Marlins hold the No. 2 spot in the country, as ranked by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll.

The team finished the 2025 season with a 49-6-1 record, which is the seventh time the program has reached a 40+ win total and the fourth time in program history they reached 45+ wins.

Brandon Elliott, Brianna Cooper (Burger), Jim Quinn, Chris Smith, and Jenna Wilson were all named ATEC/NFCA DIII Regional Coaching Staff of the Year. This season will be Elliott's 19th season at the helm as the most successful softball coach in Virginia Wesleyan program history, with a 671-158-2 record, guiding the program to three National Championships in 2017, 2018, and 2021.

The Marlins open the 2026 season on the road, beginning with a doubleheader against Meredith on February 22nd. They then travel to face N.C. Wesleyan on February 25th. The team's first home game, against cross-bay rival Christopher Newport, is scheduled for March 3rd.