RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Great American Conference announced its 2026 softball preseason coaches poll on Wednesday afternoon. Returning Head Coach Kyle Lem, alongside the rest of the Blossoms Softball Program, was voted to finish ninth overall by the conference.
 
Arkansas-Monticello closed out the 2025 campaign with a 17-31 record, 11-22 in Great American Conference play, finishing out the campaign 10th overall in the conference.

With 37 total points, Arkansas-Monticello sits 14 points behind Southwestern Oklahoma State University and 2 points ahead of Ouachita Baptist. Southern Arkansas University, the 2025 GAC Champions and Blossom rival, led in the preseason poll, with 119 points and nine first-place votes. Oklahoma Baptist came in second with 106 points and two first-place vote. Harding was tabbed third, three points behind Oklahoma Baptist taking 103 points and a single first-place vote.

The remainder of the poll was as follows: Southern Nazarene (88) in fourth, Arkansas Tech and Southeastern Oklahoma State (79) tied for fifth, Henderson State (52) in seventh, Southwestern Oklahoma State (51) in eighth, Arkansas-Monticello (37) in ninth, Ouachita Baptist (35) in tenth, East Central (29) in eleventh, and Northwestern Oklahoma State (14) in twelfth.

The 2026 Blossom roster is available now at uamsports.com. UAM travels to Branson, Missouri, to open up the season in the Branson Lead-Off Classic. The team will play four games in the tournament, with a doubleheader on both days between Jan. 30 and Jan. 31. The season opener will be against Newman University, followed by the second game of the day against University of Minnesota Crookston. Day two of the tournament will see the Blossoms take on Upper Iowa University and the University of Central Oklahoma.

Arkansas-Monticello will follow opening weekend with the annual Alvy Early Memorial Classic at Bentonville the following weekend, where UAM is scheduled to play six games. The ladies in green and white will travel to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, for the Tahlequah Softball Festival, hosted by Northeastern State University on Friday, February 13 and Saturday, February 14. The Blossoms will then return to Monticello, for their home opener against Oklahoma Baptist University February 20-21.

FANS! Don't think you can make it out to UAM home games this year? No worries! You can still watch and keep up with the live video feed and live stats. All home softball games will be live-streamed on the official UAM Sports YouTube page , and live stats can be found by clicking the "Live Stats" tab on the right side of the 2026 Softball Schedule.

How to follow the Blossoms: For more information on Arkansas-Monticello Blossoms softball, visit www.uamsports.com and follow the team's social media channels by searching "UAM Softball" on X and Instagram.

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