COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University softball team received one first place vote and was selected a clear second in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's Preseason Poll, released on Wednesday afternoon.
The Mavericks, coming off a 45-9 overall season and their sixth straight RMAC Regular Season title, received 107 points in the polling of the league's 12 head coaches, who ranked their opposition 1-11 without voting for their own squad.
Colorado Christian, which finished second in the regular season before winning the RMAC Tournament in 2022, was picked first with 119 points. The Cougars, who went 49-10 overall and 34-4 in RMAC play last year, received 10 first place votes.
MSU Denver, 38-22 (23-15 RMAC) in 2022, received the other first place vote and was tabbed third with 100 points after advancing to the RMAC Tournament Championship game and knocking the Mavericks out in the semifinal round.
Regis (95), UCCS (73) and Fort Lewis (69) rounded out the top half of the poll after each qualified for the 6-team RMAC Tournament field in 2022.
CMU finished the 2022 season with a 35-3 conference record and clinched their RMAC regular season title on the final day after a tight title chase with Colorado Christian. The Mavericks return four First Team All-RMAC selections from that team this season, including 2022 RMAC Player of the Year
Ashley Bradford. The redshirt senior also went on to receive D2CCA Second Team All-America honors. Fellow First Team All-RMAC honorees
Myah Arrieta,
Ally Distler,
Brandi Haller also return to the Maverick roster.
The Mavs will open the season with five games at the Concordia Kickoff Classic in Irvine, California from Feb. 3-5. They will then play at the West Texas Invitational from Feb. 10-12 before opening up conference play with eight straight home games against Fort Lewis (Feb. 18-19) and Black Hills State (Feb. 25-26).
RMAC teams are slated for 44 conference games this season, including a 4-game series against every other team. The Mavericks have drawn a favorable schedule and will play each of the other teams picked in the top half of the poll at home.
The top six teams at the end of the season will qualify for the May 4-6 RMAC Tournament, which will be hosted by the No. 1 seed.
2023 RMAC Softball Preseason Poll
| Institution (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. Colorado Christian (10) |
119 |
| 2. Colorado Mesa (1) |
107 |
| 3. MSU Denver (1) |
100 |
| 4. Regis |
95 |
| 5. UCCS |
73 |
| 6. Fort Lewis |
69 |
| 7. Colorado School of Mines |
62 |
| 8. CSU Pueblo |
56 |
| 9. Chadron State |
42 |
| 10. Black Hills State |
31 |
| 11. Adams State |
23 |
| 12. New Mexico Highlands |
15 |
