The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team has been selected to finish second in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference preseason poll, setting the stage for another highly competitive spring in one of Division III's toughest leagues.

Under the direction of head coach Brenda Volk, the Warhawks enter the 2026 campaign with both experience and momentum. Volk begins her 26th season at the helm of the program and continues to cement her place among the elite in the sport. Now the seventh-winningest active coach in NCAA Division III, Volk reached the 800-career win milestone last season — another achievement in a career defined by sustained excellence.

UW-Whitewater is also earning national recognition heading into the year. The Warhawks are ranked No. 11 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III preseason poll after a 2025 season that saw them capture the WIAC regular season championship and advance to the NCAA Super Regionals.

With a blend of returning talent and new contributors, the Warhawks are poised to contend once again for conference and national honors. UWW returns five All-WIAC selections to a 2026 squad that also includes 11 newcomers.

UW-Whitewater will open its 2026 schedule March 7-8 with four games in St. Louis before embarking on its annual spring break trip to Clermont, Florida, from March 15-21. Back in the midwest, the Warhawks have a pair of road doubleheaders scheduled before hosting their first games at the van Steenderen Softball Complex. Carroll and Augustana will visit Whitewater on April 3 and 7 respectively. The Warhawks and UWW fans will enjoy a five-doubleheader homestand from April 15-26 before rounding out the regular season with back-to-back twinbills on the road.