PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – After advancing to the conference championship a year ago, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville softball team was picked to finish fifth in the 2026 WIAC Preseason Poll that was released on Friday afternoon.
UW-Oshkosh, ranked No. 17 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Preseason Top 25, finished atop the WIAC poll after claiming the conference tournament title last season. UW-Whitewater was picked second and is ranked No. 11 in the NFCA poll.
UW-Stevens Point, No. 13 in the NFCA poll, was chosen third, while UW-Eau Claire rounded out the top half. Rounding out the poll behind fifth-place UW-Platteville was UW-La Crosse, UW-River Falls, and UW-Stout.
Head coach
Becca Runde returns for her seventh season after leading UW-Platteville to its most wins in a single season (26) since 1992. Runde and the rest of the Pioneers coaching staff were named WIAC Co-Coaching Staff of the Year last season following the program's first conference championship game appearance since 2003.
Headlining the returners is two-time WIAC Position Player of the Year in senior
Melissa Dietz. The third baseman broke UW-Platteville program records for single season batting average (.526) and doubles (21) and took home NFCA First Team All-American honors.
First Team All-WIAC selection and Second Team All-Region honoree
Allison Peters joins Dietz in the infield. The junior finished top five in the conference in several offensive categories, including hits (58) and home runs (6).
Juniors
Mia Savage and
Rylee Broshous are among the other returning position players for the Pioneers. Savage hit .309 while serving as UW-Platteville's designated player for most of the season, while Broshous batted .364 across 44 at-bats with three home runs and a .659 slugging percentage.
Senior
Carlie Jo Brownlee and sophomore
Bentley Cutts will be tasked with shouldering the pitching load for a team that lost nearly 200 innings from last season. Brownlee missed time last year and posted a 4.02 earned run average across 38.1 innings but recorded a 2.75 ERA in 2024. Cutts made several starts down the stretch for the Pioneers and finished with a 4.02 ERA across 31.1 innings. That duo struck out 102 batters across 69.2 combined innings.
UW-Platteville opens the season in Fulton, Missouri against Westminster College on Friday, February 20. The 2026 home opener and Senior Day will take place on Saturday, March 28 against Ripon.
Conference play begins at UW-River Falls on Saturday, April 11. The following weekend will be the Pioneers' home WIAC opener against UW-Eau Claire.
