Long Beach State University Athletics
Softball Picked To Finish Second In Preseason Coaches Poll
2/1/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Long Beach, Calif. - Long Beach State claimed three out of eight first-place votes, and was picked to finish second just behind Cal State Fullerton in the Preseason Big West Coaches Poll.
Long Beach State finished with 53 total points in the poll, just behind Cal State Fullerton with 57 as the coaches' see the 2018 Big West Campaign coming down to those two rivals in the leadup to the season.
CSUN was picked third with 43 points, and then Hawai'i (32 points), UC Riverside and Cal Poly (31 points) and UC Santa Barbara (29 points) were bunched in the middle of the pack with UC Davis trailing the coaches selections.
Long Beach State finished in a tie for second-place in the Big West last year, and returns a pair of pitching standouts in Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year Cielo Meza and Second-Team All-Big West utility player Jessica Flores. The duo are joined by seven other returning field starters and a number of high-profile transfers into the program as the Beach chases its 9th Big West title and 24th NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Beach opens up the season next week on February 8, taking part in the Puerto Vallerta College Challenge.
2018 Softball Big West Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Cal State Fullerton (4) -- 57
2. Long Beach State (3) -- 53
3. CSUN -- 43
4. Hawai'i -- 32
T5. UC Riverside (1) -- 31
T5. Cal Poly -- 31
7. UC Santa Barbara -- 29
8. UC Davis - 12
