Spartans Tabbed to Finish 5th in SSC Preseason Poll
Saint Leo was unanimously selected to repeat while Rollins and FIT complete the Top 3
MELBOURNE, Fla - Saint Leo University is the unanimous No. 1 in the 2017 Sunshine State Conference Preseason Softball Coaches Poll. The 2016 SSC champs received 64 total votes and all eight possible first-place votes from opposing coaches.
Rollins College comes in second in the poll, with Florida Tech just two votes behind. The Tars and the Panthers both finished 2016 tied for the second-best record in the league (17-7). Rollins won the regular season series, taking two of three games from FIT last season.
Barry University comes in fourth place in the poll, while University of Tampa and Eckerd College tied for fifth place. Barry, Tampa, and Eckerd finished fourth, fifth, and sixth in conference play last season, respectively. Florida Southern College, Lynn University, and Nova Southeastern University round out the poll at seven, eight, and nine.
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Saint Leo (39-8, 21-3) finished 2016 ranked No. 16 in the NFCA poll after winning the program's second SSC title. The Lions received a bid to the 2016 NCAA Division II Softball South Regional 1 in Florence, Alabama where they went 1-2. The eventual national champion, North Alabama, ended Saint Leo's season.
Rollins (40-16-1, 17-7) ended 2016 ranked No. 22 in the final NCFA Poll. The Tars received a bid to the NCAA Division II Softball South Regional 2 in Valdosta, Georgia, The Tars defeated Valdosta State and West Florida twice to claim the programs first regional title. In the NCAA South Super Regional, eventual National Champion and host North Alabama defeated Rollins.
SSC play opens up on February 17th with Florida Southern at Eckerd and Tampa at Rollins. Regional tournament play begins May 12th. Super Regionals will start on May 19th. NCAA National Championship tournament is slated to begin on May 25th. at the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Virginia.
2017 SSC SOFTBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
|
Rank 1 2 3 4 T5 T5 7 8 9 |
School (FPV) Saint Leo (8) Rollins (1) Florida Tech Barry Eckerd Tampa Florida Southern Lynn Nova Southeastern |
Total Votes 64 54 52 41 33 33 24 13 10 |
SSC Softball History: National Championships| Conference Champions| All-SSC Teams