UC San Diego softball (23-26, 12-15 Big West) will travel to Fullerton for the 2026 Big West softball championship from May 6 to May 9. The Tritons secured the No. 6 seed in the tournament, the final qualifying position for the six-team double-elimination tournament.

UCSD opens the competition on Wednesday at 4 p.m. against the No. 3 seed UC Santa Barbara. The Tritons found themselves in the same position last season, upsetting No. 3 UCSB 6-4 in their tournament opener before being eliminated two games later in the bracket. This year, UCSD will look to go even further; the winner of the Big West Championship will earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I softball championship.

For the Tritons, reaching Fullerton caps off an up-and-down regular season led by a record-setting offense but complicated by inconsistent pitching. UCSD set new Division-I program records with 35 home runs and 239 runs scored, and sophomore designated hitter Maalia Cherry has powered the lineup with 13 home runs, 44 RBIs, and 28 walks. However, the Tritons have posted a 5.30 team ERA while allowing opponents to hit .306, pressuring the offense to keep pace in high-scoring games. If UCSD wants to survive a crowded Big West Championship field, its pitching will need to give its record-setting lineup enough room to take over.