North Georgia, USC Aiken Ranked in Softball Preseason Top 25

STARKVILLE, MS – The North Georgia and USC Aiken softball teams have been ranked among the top 25 in the nation in the preseason poll of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, released on Wedneday (Jan. 27). North Georgia will begin the 2010 season as the #2 team in the nation while USC Aiken comes into the poll ranked 13th.

The national ranking comes less than a week after the Saints were being picked to win the Peach Belt Conference by the league’s head coaches for the second consecutive season. North Georgia stormed through the PBC regular season in 2009 with a 17-1 mark to claim their first-ever regular season title and posted a perfect 4-0 mark to capture the PBC Tournament Championship.

The Saints miracle season that saw the team host and come away victorious in the Southeast Dahlonega Regional and Super Regional won their first two games in the NCAA Division II College World Series to post a 27-game winning streak that spanned over two months as North Georgia ended the season with a record of 50-5, the best mark in school history.

North Georgia spent every week of the 2009 season in the NFCA Division II top 25, debuting last year at #11 in the preseason ranking, before moving up to the top five by week three, and making their first appearance as the nation’s top team in the 11th poll of the season on May 6, 2009. The Saints were ranked third in the final poll of the season the year, as National Champion Lock Haven was the unanimous favorite, followed by Alabama-Huntsville.

For USC Aiken, the ranking is the highest ever preseason national ranking for the Pacer softball program.

Coming off one of the best seasons in USC Aiken softball's history, a lot will be expected of Head Coach Jerry Snyder and the 2010 Pacer squad this season as the 2009 season saw numerous records broken, and a new level of expectation set for Coach Snyder's teams. Coach Snyder is used to having squads faced with following up stellar performances and will look for the 2010 edition of the Pacer softball team to match and hopefully exceed last year's performance.

The 2009 team started off slow, winning four of the first nine games before going on an eight game winning streak and finishing the season with a 34-16 over-all record en route to finishing a program-best 12th in the final National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II Top 25 poll of 2009. The 2009 squad also achieved something no other Pacer squad had done before by advancing to the NCAA Division II Tournament before bowing out to Georgia College & State in its second game of the NCAA Regional Tournament.

The complete poll can be seen here.