NAPERVILLE - The Carthage softball team has been selected to finish in third place in the 2026 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Preseason Poll, the conference announced Friday.

POLL RESULTS
1. Illinois Wesleyan - 63 (7 first place votes)
2. Augustana - 58 (2 first place votes)
3. Carthage - 46
4. Millikin - 44
5. North Central - 39
T6. Carroll - 22
T6. Wheaton - 22
8. North Park - 19
9. Elmhurst - 11

The Firebirds enter the 2026 season following a 26-15 campaign in 2025. The Firebirds held a 10-6 record in CCIW play, which placed them in fourth in the conference at the end of the year. As a team, the Firebirds hit .345 on the season with 245 runs scored and a slugging percentage at .440. The team stole 100 bases on 110 attempts and held an OPS of .843. Defensively, the team allowed 171 runs with an ERA of 3.53 and a WHIP of 1.67. The Firebirds posted a .971 fielding percentage while converting 13 double plays.

The Firebirds will be led by Head Coach Amy Gillmore, who begins her 29th season at the helm of the Carthage softball program. Gilmore enters the season with 610 career victories after the 2025 team posted its highest win total since 2019 when Carthage went 30-16. Coach Gillmore welcomes back her entire coach staff from 2024 which features Madison Ganir, Teri Green, Ron GIllmore, and Diave Rivera.

Several familiar faces are returning to the Carthage dugout in 2026, with senior All-American and Carthage record holder Clare Rettler leading the charge. Rettler enters the season as the back to back reigning batting champion at the NCAA Division III level after posting a .572 batting average in 2024 and a .618 batting average in 2025. In 2025, Rettler led the team with 94 hits, 49 runs, six triples, 111 total bases, 49 stolen bases, a .646 on base percentage, and a .730 slugging percentage. Record holds the Carthage career records for hits (213), runs (117), stolen bases (100), and currently holds the highest career batting average (.561) and on base percentage (.597) in Carthage history. 

Also returning this season is senior Gwen Hendrick, who ranks in the top 10 all-time for Carthage in doubles (32, T-6th), triples (11, T-3rd), and slugging percentage (.568, T-8th) Hendrick also holds the single season records for doubles (20, 2025) and triples (9, 2024). Filling out the rest of the returning senior class is Hana Adler, Emma Faubel, and pitcher Olivia Hristov, who led the team with a 3.15 ERA over 126.2 innings.

Peyton Kryza returns to represent the junior class, while familiar names such as Addison Simonson, Isabelle Stombres, Leiah Cardona, and Rylee Boyd return to highlight the sophomore class. Coach Gillmore also welcomes in an impressive freshmen class of 14 student-athletes which includes Emma Asien, Isabel Bates, Rio Casillas, Jessica Craig, Ellie Fapp, Payton Hasselbrink, Angelina Kurylowicz, MaKayla Malone, Jillian Olsen, Grace Ostterbur, Angela Parker, Aubrey Sanders, Rachael Setterstrom, and Brooke Steele.

The Firebirds kick off the 2026 season with a week-long trip to Florida, where the squad will open up a 12 game road trip on Saturday, March 7 with games against Penn State Brandywine at 10 a.m. EST and Carnegie Mellon at 12:15 p.m. EST. Carthage softball returns to Wiers Family Stadium and Madrigrano Field for its first of eight home dates on Wednesday, March 18 as the Firebirds host Concordia University Chicago for a doubleheader beginning at 2:30 p.m. The Firebirds open CCIW play on Wednesday, April 8 against North Park in Chicago, Ill. For more information, visit athletics.carthage.edu.