LAKELAND, Fla. – For the third-straight year, the Southeastern Fire have been selected as the favorite in the Preseason Sun Conference Coaches’ Poll, as voted on by the league’s nine head coaches.
Coaches were unable to vote for their own team.
The Fire received four of nine first-place votes and finished with 59 total points. Last season, Southeastern notched its fourth-straight 40-win season en route to capping off 2018 with a fourth consecutive trip to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round. Featuring TSC Freshman of the Year and Second-Team All-American Haleigh Harrell, SEU ended its season with a 40-18 (18-6 TSC) record, recording the third-most wins in the Fire’s brief history.
The defending TSC Regular Season and Tournament Champion Thomas Night Hawks finished second in the voting with a total of 54 points and four first-place votes. Warner was selected third in this year’s poll with 51 points. The remaining first-place vote went to USCB, who finished fourth in the voting with 48 points.
The 2019 NAIA Softball Preseason Coaches’ poll will be released on Tuesday, January 15.
2019 Sun Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll [First Place Votes]
1) Southeastern – 59 [4]
2) Thomas – 54 [4]
3) Warner – 51
4) USCB – 48 [1]
5) Keiser – 33
6) Ave Maria – 26
7) Webber International – 23
8) Coastal Georgia – 20
9) St. Thomas – 10