Seahawks picked fourth in CAA preseason softball poll

RICHMOND, Virginia (UNCWSports.com) – The UNCW softball team has been picked to finish fourth in the 2018 Colonial Athletic Association race according to a vote by the league’s head coaches.

James Madison, which has reached the NCAA Tournament the last five years, was picked to capture its third straight CAA crown after receiving six first-place votes. Hofstra, which reached the championship game of the CAA Tournament last year, earned the other two first-place votes and finished second in the voting.

College of Charleston was selected to finish ahead of the Seahawks in third place, while Elon, Delaware, Towson and Drexel rounded out the voting.

Led by reigning CAA Defensive Player-of-the-Year Kelsey Bryan, the Seahawks welcome back 17 letter winners from last year’s squad, which set a school record with 35 victories and earned its first berth in the CAA Championship field since 2007. UNCW also secured the first postseason appearance in the program’s history after playing in the Lynchburg Regional of the National Invitation Softball Championship.

Senior Sarah Davis also returns to lead a pitching staff that ranked second in the CAA with a 2.56 earned run average. Davis, a native of Burlington, N.C., was fifth in the circuit last year with 84 strikeouts in 140.2 innings while authoring a 16-8 record and 3.14 earned run average.

The Seahawks open the 2018 season on Saturday, Feb. 17, by facing Radford in the Charlotte First Pitch Classic at 11 a.m.

Season tickets for the 2018 campaign can be purchased by calling the UNCW Athletics Ticket Office at 800-808-UNCW or by visiting UNCWSports.com/BuyTickets.

2018 Colonial Athletic Association Softball Preseason Order of Finish
1. James Madison – 48 points (6 first-place votes)
2. Hofstra – 43 points (2 first-place votes)
3. College of Charleston – 35 points
4. UNCW – 29 points
5. Elon – 26 points
T-6. Delaware – 18 points
T-6. Towson – 18 points
8. Drexel – 7 points

Note: Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.