CARMEL, Ind. -- The Rose-Hulman Fightin' Engineers softball team has been selected to finish sixth in the HCAC Preseason Poll, conducted by the league's head coaches. The team earned 44 points in the poll results. 

Transylvania was picked to win the league, earning 81 points and nine first-place votes. Mount St. Joseph was deemed the runner-up with 70 points, and Franklin rounded out the top three teams with 62 points and one first-place vote.

Earlham was picked to finish fourth with 60 points, while Manchester cracked the top five teams with 49 points. 

Rose-Hulman finished last season with a record of 19-16 overall and 10-8 in the HCAC. The team made their first appearance in the HCAC Tournament in 17 years since the 2008 season. Rose entered the tournament as the sixth seed and won their first game against Earlham with a score of 6-2. 

Rose-Hulman fell short in their second game to MSJ after nine innings with a score of 2-1, and was eliminated from the tournament after thier loss to Franklin, 6-4. 

The team returns First Team All-HCAC honoree Jessica Newsom for her junior season. The team also returns juniors Kayla Schnippel and Aubrey Smith, who were named Second Team All-HCAC last season.

The team is led by Head Coach Brian Shearer in his 24th year at the helm of the softball program. 

The Fightin' Engineers will begin their 2026 season with their spring trip to Florida. The team will open the year against Houghton and Albright on Monday, March 2, at 10 AM and 12:15 PM. 

HCAC PRESEASON POLL RESULTS:
1) Transylvania - 81 (9)
2) Mount St. Joseph - 70
3) Franklin - 62 (1)
4) Earlham - 60
5) Manchester - 49
6) Rose-Hulman - 44
7) Hanover - 31
8) Anderson - 26
9) Bluffton - 18
10) Berea - 9