Furman Picked to Finish Second in Softball

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- The Southern Conference softball coaches and sports information directors have cast their vote and selected Chattanooga to defend its title in for the third straight year. Chattanooga edged Furman in the coaches' polling, receiving four of the eight first-place votes with Furman receiving three and Georgia Southern one. Chattanooga received six first place votes in the SID poll , while Furman received the remaining two.

The Lady Mocs won their fifth straight regular season title in 2001 with an 18-2 conference record. Chattanooga swept through the conference tournament, defeating Appalachian State and UNC Greensboro and edging Furman twice to win its fifth tournament crown. Furman edged UNC Wilmington and Georgia Southern before falling to Chattanooga. The Lady Paladins topped Georgia Southern to advance to the finals of the tournament. Furman was selected to finish second in both polls. UNC Greensboro was selected third in the coaches' poll, followed closely by Georgia Southern. East Tennessee State was selected fifth, followed by UNC Wilmington, College of Charleston and Appalachian State.

In the SID's poll, Georgia Southern edged UNC Greensboro for third while East Tennessee State finished fifth. The SID's selected College of Charleston sixth, followed by UNC Wilmington and Appalachian State. The softball season begins February 2 when Georgia Southern travels to Tallahassee, Fla., to take on Florida A&M on Saturday and 15th ranked Florida State on Sunday, February 3.

The conference schedule opens on March 16 with a full slate of games: Chattanooga at Appalachian State, East Tennessee State at UNC Greensboro, Furman at College of Charleston and UNC Wilmington at Georgia Southern

Southern Conference Softball Preseason Polls

Preseason Coaches Poll
1 .Chattanooga (4) 57
2. Furman (3) 56
3. UNCG 49
4. Georgia Southern (1) 44
5. ETSU 27
6. UNCW 20
7. College of Charleston 19
8. Appalachian State 16

Preseason SID¹s Poll
1. Chattanooga (6) 62
2. Furman (2) 50
3. Georgia Southern 49
4. UNC Greensboro 44
5. ETSU 28
6. College of Charleston 26
7. UNCW 15
8. Appalachian State 14