CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – For the third-straight year and sixth time in seven seasons, Southeast Missouri is the Ohio Valley Conference preseason favorite. SEMO was picked first in the league's annual predicted order of finish ahead of the 2026 campaign which opens next weekend.
 
SEMO, which went 27-19 overall and 17-9 in the OVC a year ago, tallied 148 points and eight of the possible 20 first-place votes in the balloting among the league's head coaches and communication directors. 
 
Prior to 2026, SEMO was also tabbed the OVC preseason favorite in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025.
 
SIU Edwardsville is second with 139 points and eight first-place nods, while Eastern Illinois, which won both the OVC regular-season and tournament titles in 2025, is third with 138 points and three first-place votes. 
 
Lindenwood (108 pts.) and Southern Indiana (107 pts., 1 first-place vote) round out the top five. Tennessee Tech (75 pts.), Tennessee State (68 pts.), UT Martin (55 pts.), Western Illinois (41 pts.) and Morehead State (21 pts.) complete the predicted order of finish.
 
Infielder Brooklyn Saysoff and outfielder Madison Winkler are SEMO's returning All-OVC players. Both earned first-team honors a year ago. Saysoff ranked second on the team with a .363 batting average and led the Redhawks with 49 RBI, while Winkler rated fourth on the team with a .348 batting average.
 
Pitcher Maddie Carney and infielder Aubrie Shore are among the league's Players to Watch. 
 
Carney struck out 31 in 70 innings and held opponents to a .245 batting average last season. She ranked third on the team in appearances (19) and second in start (10).
 
Shore returns after missing the entire 2025 campaign with a back injury. She was a Second-Team All-OVC selection the year before her injury.
 
Mark Redburn enters his 12th year as SEMO's head coach. Since 2019, Redburn has led the Redhawks to three OVC regular-season championships, two OVC Tournament titles and two NCAA Tournament berths.
 
The Redhawks open their 2026 season with five games at the Southern Mississippi Black & Gold Challenge in Hattiesburg, Mississippi on Feb. 6-8.
 
2026 OVC Softball Predicted Order of Finish
1. Southeast Missouri (8) - 148
2. SIUE (8) – 139
3. Eastern Illinois (3) – 138
4. Lindenwood – 108
5. Southern Indiana (1) – 107
6. Tennessee Tech – 75
7. Tennessee State – 68
8. UT Martin – 55
9. Western Illinois – 41
10. Morehead State - 21
 
Returning All-OVC
Morgan Hance, OF, Eastern Illinois
Karlie McKenzie, P, Eastern Illinois
Tori Hatton, IF, Lindenwood
Nicole Henson, OF, Lindenwood
Avery Wapp, P, Lindenwood
Maddy Christopher, OF, Morehead State
Sela Pickford, IF, Morehead State
Brooklyn Saysoff, IF, Southeast Missouri
Madison Winkler, OF, Southeast Missouri
Avery Arwood, P, SIUE
Jordan Mackey, C/IF, Southern Indiana
Caroline Stapleton, OF, Southern Indiana
Kylie Witthaus, P, Southern Indiana
Hailey Hunt, OF, Tennessee State
Payton Brown, IF/UT, Western Illinois
 
Watch List
Abi Hatton, UT, Eastern Illinois
Bryana French, P, Eastern Illinois
Ryleigh Owens, P, Lindenwood
Sydney Farmer, C/3B, Morehead State
Rylie Burney, P, Morehead State
Maddie Carney, P, Southeast Missouri
Aubrie Shore, IF, Southeast Missouri
Kaylin Fahy, OF, SIUE
Raegan Duncan, IF, SIUE
Sydney Long, 2B, Southern Indiana
Kate Satkoski, OF, Southern Indiana
Jace Jackson, MI, Tennessee State
Kailyn Jean-Baptiste, IF, Tennessee State
Emily York, P, Tennessee Tech
Olivia Evans, OF, Tennessee Tech
Avary Makarewicz, C, UT Martin
Dylan Scott, UT, UT Martin
Lillie Wools, P/UT, Western Illinois
Sophia Sanchez, 2B, Western Illinois