PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Tulsa was selected as the favorite in the 2018 American Athletic Conference Softball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, as selected by the conference’s head coaches.
The Golden Hurricane received six first-place votes for 48 total points to take the honor. Tulsa won the American Athletic Conference Championship a year ago for the second-consecutive season and appeared in its ninth NCAA Regional. Twelve players return this season from that 2017 squad, including the league’s pitcher of the year Emily Watson and all-conference selections Morgan Neal, Tori Stafford and Maggie Withee.
Houston, the American Championship runner-up a year ago, claimed the second spot in the preseason poll. The Cougars received two first-place votes en route to 44 total points. Houston returns 15 players from the 2017 team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, including rookie of the year Arielle James, first-team all-conference selections Maya Thomas and Savannah Heebner, and all-rookie team selection Trystan Melancon.
USF was picked third with 34 points. The Bulls posted a 32-24 overall record in 2017, which included a six-game win streak and 10 victories which they held opponents scoreless. First team all-conference selection Cheyenne Eggens, second-team selections Lauren Evans and Astin Donovan and all-rookie team selection Bethaney Keen highlight key returners for the Bulls this season.
UCF (29 points) was fourth in the coaches’ poll followed by Wichita State in fifth with 25 points, Memphis in sixth with 19 points and UConn (14 points) in seventh. ECU rounds out the eight-team poll with 11 points.
The Knights return top hitters Cassady Brewer, Courtney Rotton, Kyra Klarkowski and Jazmine Esparza to this year’s roster. Head Coach Kristi Bredbenner and the Shockers will play against 11 teams that reached the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The Tigers’ 2018 spring schedule features three home tournaments, three additional tournaments, seven conference series, a home-and-home with Mississippi State and single games against Tennessee and Ole Miss. Five opponents on the Huskies’ schedule won conference championships last season, while six finished the season ranked in the RPI Top 50, while the Pirates return three of their top five hitters in 2018.
The 2018 softball season begins Thursday, Feb. 8 while conference play starts Friday, Mar. 23. The 2018 American Softball Championship will take place May 10-12 at the USF Softball Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
2018 American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll
| School (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. Tulsa (6) |
48 |
| 2. Houston (2) |
44 |
| 3. USF |
34 |
| 4. UCF |
29 |
| 5. Wichita State |
25 |
| 6. Memphis |
19 |
| 7. UConn |
14 |
| 8. ECU |
11 |
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