Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop junior outfielder
Tia Beckham has been voted to the 2026 Big South Conference Preseason All-Conference Team, announced by the league office on Wednesday.
Beckham made a splash in her first season with the Eagles last season, earning the 2025 Big South Newcomer of the Year honors and earning a spot on the All-Conference Second Team. Beckham cracked 10 home runs to go along with 23 runs, 13 doubles and 40 RBI on the year while batting .275. She started 51 of the 53 games she appeared and also finished with a .556 slugging percentage and sported a .987 fielding percentage in the outfield.
In the Big South her 40 RBI and 13 doubles ranked 4
th and was 6
th in total bases (89).
Last season Beckham had nine multi-hit games and led the team with 12 multi-RBI games. Heading into the 2026 season, Beckham is riding a six-game hitting streak.
Eagles open up the season on Friday, Feb. 6 at 5:30 p.m. in Columbia, S.C. at the Gamecock Invitational as they take on Virginia Tech.
The league office also released the 2026 Big South Preseason Poll as the Eagles were voted 4
th. Radford received five first-place votes and are the favorites in 2026 followed by USC Upstate (one 1
st place vote), Longwood (one 1
st place vote) and Winthrop a single vote behind Longwood. Charleston Southern is 5
th followed by Gardner-Webb (6
th) and Presbyterian College (7
th).
2026 BIG SOUTH SOFTBALL PRESEASON POLL
| Rk - School (first-place votes) |
Points |
| 1 - Radford (5) |
47 |
| 2 - USC Upstate (1) |
41 |
| 3 - Longwood (1) |
30 |
| 4 - Winthrop |
29 |
| 5 - Charleston Southern |
23 |
| 6 - Gardner-Webb |
14 |
| 7 - Presbyterian College |
12 |
Note: points are based on a weighted system, with first-place votes receiving 7 points, followed by 6 points for second-place, and so on.
2026 PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
OF – Taliyah Thomas, Sr., USC Upstate
OF – Sophia Kardatzke, Soph., USC Upstate
OF –
Tia Beckham, Jr., Winthrop
OF – Jordyn Dimond, Jr., Charleston Southern
INF – Abby Polk, Jr., USC Upstate
INF – Carson Shaw, Sr., USC Upstate
INF – Sophia Knock, Sr., Longwood
INF – Charlee Yourman, Sr., Charleston Southern
INF – Amanda Lee, Jr., Radford
C – Kelley Feigen, Jr., Radford
DP – Alli Stidham, Sr., Gardner-Webb
UTL – Grace Bechtol, Jr., Radford
P – Dakota Redmon, Soph., Radford
P – Maddie Drerup, Sr., USC Upstate
P – Maggie Chapin, Sr, Longwood
P – Morgan Cooper, Jr., Radford
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Taliyah Thomas, OF, Sr., USC Upstate
PRESEASON PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Dakota Redmon, Soph., Radford
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