The Case Western Reserve University softball team will begin the season ranked 13th in Division III according to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Preseason Top 25 Poll as released by the organization on Tuesday.

CWRU was also ranked 13th in the final poll of the 2023 season after finishing the season with a record of 38-5, matching a program record for wins in a single campaign. The Spartans won their second consecutive University Athletic Association championship and reached the Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history last year.

The team returns its top three pitchers from last season: juniors Lexi Miskey and Kylie Hosey and senior Jenna Jaklich. Miskey, a two-time UAA Pitcher of the Year honoree, had a record-setting season for CWRU as a sophomore and earned All-America Second Team honors. Hosey was selected to the All-UAA Second Team, and Jaklich tied the program record with four saves in 2023.

Two of the team's top position players, infielder Amanda Riely, the conference's Position Player of the Year last season, and outfielder Carli Tucci, an All-Region First Team selection, graduated. However, CWRU welcomes back a pair of All-UAA First Team selections in seniors KaiLi Gross and Kela Jagoda. Other top returners include seniors Stevie Rieger, Kaila Nutter, and Jordon Manworren, juniors Isabella Russo and Katelyn Lamm, and sophomore Elizabeth Berry.

The Spartans open the 2024 campaign on Friday, March 1, at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Georgia, with games against seventh-ranked Linfield and 12th-ranked Belhaven. CWRU will also face ninth-ranked Virginia Wesleyan, 16th-ranked East Texas Baptist, 15th-ranked Texas Lutheran, and postseason-qualifier Wartburg.