North Carolina State University Athletics
Softball Tabbed Sixth in ACC Preseason Poll
1/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
RALEIGH, N.C. An annual vote of the ACC softball coaches handed the NC State softball program a predicted sixth-place finish when the preseason poll was released on Tuesday, Jan. 22. A tad over two weeks from beginning its season on Feb. 8, the Pack received 25 points total in voting.
“It’s kind of like our first year,” said head coach Lisa Navas. “We have to bring a bunch of kids together and really work on being one team. It will take time, but the players are up to the challenge.
That being said, the Pack still has six players that have won an ACC title, and 11 that have NCAA Tournament experience.
Virginia Tech was picked first, receiving six of the eight first-place votes. Last year, led by all-everything hurler Angela Tincher, the Hokies won both the regular season and conference tournament titles. With Tincher still in tow, Virginia Tech figures to be the odds-on favorite for a repeat.
Florida State and Virginia each picked up one of the remaining first place votes. The Seminoles finished tied for third with Georgia Tech, while Virginia wound up seventh.
State will begin its 2008 regular season on Feb. 8, taking on Kansas at the UCF Softball Tournament in Orlando, Fla. The squad will also compete at four other challenging tournaments; the FAU “Strike-Out” Cancer Tournament in Boca Raton, Fla., the College of Charleston Tournament in Charleston, S.C., the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., and the USF Under Armour Invitational in Clearwater, Fla.
Feb. 27 is certain to be one of the most anticipated days in the history of the Wolfpack softball program. At 3 p.m., State will begin its first of two games against UNC Greensboro, marking the inaugural game at the Curtis & Jacqueline Dail Softball Stadium on the NC State campus.
Click here for the complete schedule.
2008 ACC Softball Preseason Poll
School - Points
1. Virginia Tech (6) - 62
2. North Carolina - 48
T3. Florida State (1) - 45
T3. Georgia Tech - 45
5. Maryland - 31
6. NC State - 25
7. Virginia (1) - 18
8. Boston College - 14
(#) indicates number of first-place votes
