Long Beach State University Athletics
Photo by: John Fajardo
Beach Softball Picked To Finish Second In Big West
1/22/2020 12:05:00 PM | Softball
Long Beach State received two first-place votes in the preseason coaches’ poll.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State softball was picked to finish in second place and received a pair of first-place votes in the preseason coaches' poll, announced Wednesday by the Big West Conference office.
Long Beach State finished with two first-place votes and 54 points total, picked only behind defending champions Cal State Fullerton who received 62 points and six first-place votes.
The Beach were picked in front of Hawai'i in third place with 46 points, while CSUN, UC Davis, UC Riverside, Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara rounded out the order as voted on by the league's eight coaches.
Long Beach State returns six regular starters from last season as well as a pair of starting pitchers in Ashley Coleman and Kellie White. Both pitchers earned All-Big West honors a season ago, as did returning players Naomi Hernandez, Maddy Ruffin and Taylor Rowland while Alyssa Gonzalez and Sydney McCollum both earned All-Region Honors for the 2019 season.
The Beach will compete in one of collegiate softball's showcase events to start the season, competing in the Puerto Vallarta Challenge in Mexico over the first weekend of the season, with opening day scheduled for Friday, February 7.
2020 Big West Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Cal State Fullerton – 62 (6)
2. Long Beach State – 54 (2)
3. Hawai'i – 46
4. CSUN – 37
5. UC Davis – 30
6. UC Riverside – 28
7. Cal Poly – 17
8. UC Santa Barbara – 14
Long Beach State finished with two first-place votes and 54 points total, picked only behind defending champions Cal State Fullerton who received 62 points and six first-place votes.
The Beach were picked in front of Hawai'i in third place with 46 points, while CSUN, UC Davis, UC Riverside, Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara rounded out the order as voted on by the league's eight coaches.
Long Beach State returns six regular starters from last season as well as a pair of starting pitchers in Ashley Coleman and Kellie White. Both pitchers earned All-Big West honors a season ago, as did returning players Naomi Hernandez, Maddy Ruffin and Taylor Rowland while Alyssa Gonzalez and Sydney McCollum both earned All-Region Honors for the 2019 season.
The Beach will compete in one of collegiate softball's showcase events to start the season, competing in the Puerto Vallarta Challenge in Mexico over the first weekend of the season, with opening day scheduled for Friday, February 7.
2020 Big West Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Cal State Fullerton – 62 (6)
2. Long Beach State – 54 (2)
3. Hawai'i – 46
4. CSUN – 37
5. UC Davis – 30
6. UC Riverside – 28
7. Cal Poly – 17
8. UC Santa Barbara – 14
Players Mentioned
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