ABILENE, Texas—The Southland Conference released their 2020 softball preseason poll as well as their preseason all-conference teams this week. After a down season last year, with the Wildcats finishing 13-31 and 6-21 in Southland play, ACU comes in at ninth in the poll. The Wildcats did have two preseason all-conference players with both
Samantha Bradley and
Linsey Tomlinson earning automatic honors after finishing last season on an all-conference team.
SFA earned the first-place nod in the preseason poll after receiving 11 first place votes, edging out Sam Houston who received 10 first place votes. McNeese and Nicholls each received at least one first place vote to round out the top four. The Wildcats finished in 10
th place last season, meaning their ninth-place preseason vote puts them just ahead of where they finished a season ago. ACU returns all of their significant contributing players while adding a couple of key newcomers.
"We're really excited going into season to show the conference a different look for ACU softball," explained head coach,
Abigail Farler. "Our program's identity has changed quickly and we are excited to compete and show our opponents something different. The team has trained hard in the offseason, embracing different aspects of the game that we were able to sharpen into our strong suits. We look forward to implementing that against our conference opponents."
The Wildcats were fifth in the Southland in hitting percentage last season (.263), that number led by
Samantha Bradley (.317) and
Linsey Tomlinson (.306). Tomlinson started all 44 games for the Wildcats as Bradley appeared in 43 games, starting in 41. Bradley was named to the preseason all-conference second team as a designated player (DP), while Tomlinson was voted as an outfield representative. Both seniors this year, they will look to lead the team to a resurgence over last season.
"Sam and Linsey have both been outstanding leaders for our program so far this year," Farler stated. "They have put in the work in the offseason and are excited to get going next week. Both will provide value and a great upside for us, both offensively and defensively, and will be critical pieces of the puzzle for us this year."
ACU will look to bounce back from last season's struggles as they open their season next weekend at Texas A&M. The first pitch of 2020 is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 8, at 12 p.m. against the Aggies before following it up with a game against UT Arlington at 4:30 p.m.
