High Preseason Rankings for Virginia Tech Softball

For the first time in program history the Virginia Tech softball team is ranked nationally in the preseason.  The team is also picked for the first time as the Atlantic Coast Conference preseason favorite.

The USA Today/NFCA Preseason Top 25 poll has Virginia Tech sitting at No. 16 in the country.  Last season’s national champion, Arizona is ranked at No. 1 again for this season.  The only other ACC school to join Tech in the top 25 is Georgia Tech, who is ranked at No. 17. 

Along with a national ranking, Tech also earned consideration as the ACC favorite for the season.  The ranking makes for the first time Tech has ever been a preseason favorite in any of the three conferences-Atlantic 10, Big East, or ACC that it has played in. 

The team received six first place votes from the eight head coaches of the league and also received 62 of the possible 64 points.  University of North Carolina came in a distant second with 48 points, followed by Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, NC State, Virginia, and Boston College. 

This comes as no big shocker after the Hokies went 49-16 last season and won the regular season and conference titles.  Aside from coming off of a strong previous season, Tech also returns a ton of talent including two-time All-American Angela Tincher. 

In the off season the Hokies lost only one starter and will return all nine position-players and six of their best seven hitters from last season.

Tech starts its 2008 season on Feb. 8 when it takes on Pittsburg and Missouri at the FIU Invitational in Miami, Fla.