Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Picked Seventh in Preseason Softball Poll
January 18, 2011 | Softball
Jan. 18, 2011
LUBBOCK, Texas - Coming off its first NCAA Regional in 10 seasons, the Texas Tech softball program will begin its 2011 campaign picked to finish seventh by the Big 12 coaches as part of the conference preseason poll released Tuesday afternoon.
Tech finished the 2010 season seventh in the 10-team league, which was good enough to advance to the NCAA Stanford Regional. The Red Raiders eventually fell to College World Series participant Hawaii in the regional final to conclude its season with a 38-18 record, the second-most wins in school history.
The Red Raiders return 14 letterwinners off that squad, including All-Big 12 second team selections Emily Bledsoe, Logan Hall, and Mikey Kenney. Second-year head coach Shanon Hays also added seven newcomers to the roster in the offseason, led by pitcher Kelsey Dennis, catcher Cydney Allen and freshman pitcher/outfielder Kermitria Ward.
For the third-straight season, Oklahoma sits atop the preseason poll with seven first-place votes, followed directly by Missouri in second and Texas in third. All three schools will travel to Lubbock for a two-game series this season.
Texas A&M was picked fourth just above Oklahoma State in fifth and Baylor in sixth. Nebraska, Iowa State, and Kansas rounded out the poll.
Tech begins its season Feb. 10-13 at the Arizona State Kajikawa Tournament in Tempe, Ariz. The Red Raiders will face BYU, Bradley, California, Indiana, and Appalachian State in the four-day event.
2011 Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll
Team (first-place votes) - Points1. Oklahoma (7) - 79
2. Missouri (2) - 71
3. Texas (1) - 69
4. Texas A&M - 54
5. Oklahoma State - 50
6. Baylor - 40
7. Texas Tech - 33
8. Nebraska - 26
9. Iowa State - 15
10. Kansas - 13
