Spartans Tabbed Second in SSC Coaches Preseason Poll

MELBOURNE, Fla. – The University of Tampa softball team has been tabbed to finish second the in the 2016 Sunshine State Conference preseason softball coaches' poll. The Spartans received 55 votes and three first place votes. Saint Leo took the number one spot, receiving 59 total votes and five first place votes. Barry finished third with 50 total votes and fourth ranked Rollins received 48 total votes along with the final first place vote. Rounding out the top five is Florida Tech who received 38 total votes.

In 2015, Tampa finished atop the SSC standings for the second consecutive season, going 16-8 in conference play and 28-13 overall. The Spartans edged out Barry in a tiebreaker, which came down to the regular season series, which UT won 2-1 to earn SSC Championship honors on the final day of the regular season. Tampa advanced to the South Regional Tournament as the No. 7 seed and lost to conference foe Rollins College before being eliminated by regional host North Alabama.

The Spartans look to the leadership in the left side of the infield, as third baseman Bre Setree and shortstop Sahrina Cortes return to anchor the UT lineup.

Setree was named to the All-Sunshine State Conference Second Team as she started in all 41 games. She reached base on 51 occasions and lead the team with 10 doubles. She posted a hit in the first seven games of the season. Setree finished her sophomore season with a .322 batting average with 38 hits and 21 RBI.

Cortes hit .248 in her freshman year with 30 hits and 21 runs. She also led the team in stolen bases with seven on the season and drove in 10 runs from the leadoff spot.

Tampa starts their season on Friday, February 5^th, as they play against Ursuline at 4:30 PM in the Eckerd Softball Tournament. Conference play begins on February 19^th, as they visit Florida Tech for a three-game series.

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2016 SSC SOFTBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL