Limestone College Named Favorite to Win 2016 Conference Carolinas Softball Championship
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Limestone College Saints received 88 points and eight first-place votes to be tabbed the favorites to win the 2016 Conference Carolinas softball Championship, the league announced today.
The Saints are poised to return to the NCAA tournament and repeat as Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament champions after going 28-15 in 2015, which included a 13-3 league record.
Close on their heels will be the University of Mount Olive Trojans, who tallied 75 points and one first-place vote from coaches. In 2015, the Trojans went 29-20 overall and 13-5 in Conference Carolinas action.
Finishing third in the preseason poll was Belmont Abbey College with 73 points. The Crusaders won a league-best 14 games in 2015 and went 22-23 overall.
Pfeiffer University landed at fourth in the preseason poll with 63 points with one first-place vote, followed by King University with 56 points in fifth.
The Falcons' 2015 campaign ended with a 27-23 record and 11-9 league mark. The Tornado also went 11-9 in conference play and 18-27 overall.
North Greenville University and Erskine College come into 2016 tied at sixth with 53 points each, while Lees-McRae College and Barton College are tied at eighth with 30 points apiece.
The Crusaders were 23-20 overall and 9-10 in Conference Carolinas action. The Fleet flew to 19-23 overall and 11-7 conference record in 2015. Lees-McRae went 6-40 overall and 1-17 in conference, while the Bulldogs went 17-25 and 3-13 in league action.
Rounding out the poll in 10th is first-year program Converse College with 19 points.
The 2016 Conference Carolinas softball season begins on Sunday, Jan. 31.
2016 Softball Preseason Poll
| School (first-place votes) |
Total |
| 1. Limestone (8) |
88 |
| 2. Mount Olive (1) |
75 |
| 3. Belmont Abbey |
73 |
| 4. Pfeiffer (1) |
63 |
| 5. King |
56 |
| T6. North Greenville |
53 |
| T6. Erskine |
53 |
| T8. Lees-McRae |
30 |
| T8. Barton |
30 |
| 10. Converse |
19 |
Conference Carolinas is a NCAA Division II athletics conference made up of 12 teams from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. These institutions consist of: Barton College, Belmont Abbey College, Converse College, Emmanuel College, Erskine College, King University, Lees-Mcrae College, Limestone College, University of Mount Olive, North Greenville University, Pfeiffer University, and Southern Wesleyan University. Emmanuel College and Southern Wesleyan University are currently completing the NCAA Membership Process and will be fully competing in league championships in the near future.