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Ella Johel watches a fly ball in a home game against Rider on April 5, 2025.
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Softball

Ella Johel Named Preseason All-MAAC

Canisius junior outfielder Ella Johel has been named to the 2026 Preseason All-MAAC Team, as the conference office announced the results of its annual coaches' poll on Wednesday.

This marks the first time Johel has earned Preseason All-MAAC honors, and she is the only Golden Griffin to be voted to the league's 12-player preseason all-star team this year. In 2025, Johel was named to the All-MAAC First team and also garnered NCFA All-Northeast Region Second Team honors.

A native of East Amherst, N.Y., Johel started all 52 games for the Blue and Gold last season, where she hit a team-best .395, which ranked fifth in the league. Overall, she ranked among the top five hitters in the MAAC in eight different offensive statistical categories, including batting average, hits (68), doubles (15), triples (9), RBI (45), runs scored (43), slugging percentage (.674) and OPS (1.101). Her 15 doubles this season were tied for fourth-most by a Canisius player in a single-season and her nine triples ranked third best in the nation.
 
Johel led the Griffs with 22 multi-hit games and she drove in multiple RBI in 12 games a season ago, which also led the team. Of her 45 RBI in 2025, 22 of those came with two outs.

In addition to her All-MAAC and all-region accolades last year, Johel was named the 2024-25 Canisius Female Athlete of the Year. She is the seventh different softball player to be named Canisius' Female Athlete of the Year, and her selection this year extends the softball program's streak of winning the University's top individual female honor to five-straight years, going to back to Kara Paradowski winning the award in 2021.

As a team, Canisius was picked to finish eighth in the MAAC's Preseason Coaches' Poll. Defending league champion Marist was picked to win the MAAC crown once again in 2026, as the Red Foxes earned 167 points in the poll with 11 of the league's 13 first-place votes. Fairfield (144) and Siena (143) were picked to finish second and third, respectively, and each team was awarded a first-place vote.

Iona (117), Sacred Heart (109) and Rider (103) were tabbed to finish fourth through sixth, with Quinnipiac placing seventh with 98 points, seven points ahead of eighth-place Canisius. Merrimack (55), Manhattan (54), Mount St. Mary's (50) were chosen to finish ninth through 11th, while Niagara (29) and Saint Peter's (23) rounded out the 13-team poll.

Canisius will open the 2026 season on Feb. 13 with games against Ohio and Middle Tennessee State on the first day of the UT Chattanooga Challege. The Griffs will start MAAC play March 14-15 with a three-game set at Sacred Heart.

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Players Mentioned

Ella Johel

#10 Ella Johel

OF
5' 5"
Sophomore
L/R

Players Mentioned

Ella Johel

#10 Ella Johel

5' 5"
Sophomore
L/R
OF