NEW ORLEANS – The conference's top two teams from a year ago sit atop the preseason predictions for the 2018 season as Texas State was selected first and Louisiana was chosen second in the Sun Belt Conference softball preseason coaches’ poll.
The Bobcats earned the top spot with six of the 10 first-place votes and 95 points with the Ragin' Cajuns close behind with the remaining four first-place votes and 92 points. Texas State (42-17, 19-8 Sun Belt in 2017) and Louisiana (47-8, 23-1 Sun Belt) each enter the season coming off a 40+-win campaign and an NCAA Softball Championship Regional appearance.
The national preseason polls have Ragin' Cajuns ranked 24th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Preseason Poll and 22nd in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Preseason Poll with Bobcats receiving votes in both polls. Louisiana has won the last four Sun Belt regular-season titles and the last two Sun Belt tournament titles.
Georgia State (80 points), South Alabama (72 points) amd ULM (46 points) round off the top half of the preseason poll. Georgia State and ULM, along with UTA, also enter the 2018 season coming off postseason appearances. The Sun Belt trio participated the inaugural National Invitational Softball Championship witth Panthers and Warhawks advancing to regional finals.
The Mavericks lead the second half of the preseason poll placing sixth with 42 points, followed by Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern tied for seventh with 38 points each, Troy ninth with 34 points and Appalachian State 10th with 13 points.
The 2018 softball season begins on Thursday, Feb. 8. The 2018 Sun Belt Conference Softball Championship is set for May 9-12 at Alfred and Helen Lamson Park on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
2018 Sun Belt Conference Softball Coaches’ Preseason Poll
first-place votes in parentheses
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
| 1. |
Texas State (6) |
95 |
| 2. |
Louisiana (4) |
92 |
| 3. |
Georgia State |
80 |
| 4. |
South Alabama |
72 |
| 5. |
ULM |
46 |
| 6. |
UTA |
42 |
| 7. |
Coastal Carolina |
38 |
|
Georgia Southern |
38 |
| 9. |
Troy |
34 |
| 10. |
Appalachian State |
13 |