LOUISVILLE, Ky.— After winning a second straight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title in 2017, the Colorado Mesa University Maverick softball team has been picked eighth in the 2018 NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) Division II Top 25 Preseason Poll, announced by the association on Wednesday.
 
The Mavericks, who went 48-8 a year ago, received 280 points in the polling of 16 head coaches from around the country, two from each of the nation's eight regions.  The No. 8 ranking is CMU's highest in fourth-year head coach Ben Garcia's tenure with the program and is three spots higher than their No. 11 final 2017 poll ranking and 11 spots higher than their No. 19 Preseason ranking from a year ago.
 
Defending National Champions Minnesota State were picked first in Wednesday's poll, garnering 396 points and 14 first place votes.  Angelo State, which defeated CMU in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional before advancing to the National Championship series, has been picked second with 386 points and the other two possible first place points.
 
The Mavericks will get a shot at revenge as they will take on the Rambelles on the opening day of the season, next Friday (Feb. 2) at the CMU Invitational in Rio Rancho, N.M.
 
The Mavericks will also play No. 22 St. Mary's (Texas) two days later in the same tournament and have games slated against two other teams in the "Receiving Votes" category for the following weekend at the Dixie State Easton Classic in St. George, Utah.  There, the Mavericks will play Concordia Irvine and Cal Baptist in back-to-back games on Sunday, Feb. 10 in final tune-ups for the start of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference season, which begins with their home-opening series against Chadron State on Feb. 24 and 25.
 
CMU is the only RMAC team to be included in the national poll.
 
West Florida, Humboldt State, Southern Indiana and North Georgia were picked just ahead of the Mavericks while Dixie State and Southern Arkansas round out the top 10.
 
West Texas A&M is the only other South Central Region team in the top 25, checking in at No. 13.  Texas Woman's is also in the "receiving votes" category.