Spartans Selected to Finish 2nd in SSC Preseason Poll

MELBOURNE, Fla. – The University of Tampa is 2nd in the 2018 Sunshine State Conference preseason softball coaches' poll. The Spartans come in second with 84 votes after ending 2017 as conference runner-up.

Palm Beach Atlantic University finishes third in the voting with 75 votes and the final first-place vote. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Rollins College round out the Top-5 in a tie for fourth-place at 59 votes.

UT returns 14 players from last season's team that went 29-12 overall and 16-8 in conference play and have six newcomers added to the roster. Tampa will open the season at home against Warner with a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday, February 3rd at 1 p.m. Sunshine State play will start with a trip to Florida Southern on Friday, February 16th.

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First pitch of the 2018 season comes on February 2nd with several teams playing tournaments on the road. League play opens up on February 16th with a full slate of games. NCAA Division II Softball Regionals and Super Regionals will be held at non-predetermined sites May 10th - May 18th. Finals are to be held Thursday, May 24th - Monday, May 28th at the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Virginia. The Mountain East Conference and City of Salem will serve as co-hosts of the event.
 
Below are the full results of the 2018 SSC preseason coaches' poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their teams (points: 11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).

2018 SSC SOFTBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL