BIRMINGHAM
– Head coaches around the Gulf South
Conference have picked the University of
North Alabama softball team to finish fourth
in the East Division in the upcoming 2008
season. In the league’s annual pre-season
release, the Lions received three
third-place votes, one vote for fourth and
one vote for fifth for a total of 12 points.
West Georgia
also received 12 points to tie UNA for
fourth while West Alabama’s six points is in
sixth place. Defending East champion
Valdosta State was chosen to repeat after
garnering 24 total points. The Blazers
received four of the five first-place votes
with one nod for second.
Defending GSC
tournament champion UAH was second after
getting one vote for first place and three
second-place votes for 20 total points. West
Florida rounded out the top three with 16
points. Although the Chargers were picked to
finish second in the division, they received
the most votes (9) to win the overall
championship as they did a year ago.
VSU received
three overall championship votes while the
West Division’s Delta State collected one.
Arkansas-Monticello was chosen as the
favorite to win the West after collecting
five first-place votes and 35 total points.
DSU was a close second with 31 points and
got two nods for first place and three for
third.
Henderson State
(23 points), Southern Arkansas (20 points),
Ouachita Baptist (19 points), Arkansas Tech
(13 points) and Christian Brothers (six
points) rounded out the West predictions.
UNA’s Lindsey
Bates and Lindsey Greene each received
pre-season All-GSC honors. The two
represented the Lions’ highest batting
averages last season. Bates was a first-team
all-conference selection last season and
earned second-team honors in 2006. Greene
was the 2005 GSC East Freshman of the Year
and second team all-conference before
earning consecutive first-team honors in
2006 and 2007
The Lions will
open the 2008 softball season on Tuesday,
Feb. 12, at home against Trevecca Nazarene.
The double-header is set to begin at 2 p.m.
at the UNA Softball Complex on Cox Creek
Parkway.
