Washington tabbed favorite in 2020 Pac-12 Softball Preseason Coaches Poll

SAN FRANCISCO - WASHINGTON was voted first in the 2020 Pac-12 Softball Preseason Coaches Poll as announced by the Conference office today. The Huskies, one of three league teams in the 2019 Women's College World Series, garnered 69 points and six first-place votes to sit atop the poll.

UCLA, the reigning NCAA National Champion, was selected to finish a close second with 65 points and two first-place votes.

ARIZONA received the last remaining first place vote and was picked to finish third with 61 points. The Wildcats advanced to the 2019 WCWS as the No. 6 seed and were among the last eight teams in the postseason.

ARIZONA STATE was selected fourth with 49 points, followed by fifth place OREGON with 40 points.

STANFORD tallied 38 points to rank sixth, OREGON STATE placed seventh with 34 points and CALIFORNIA and UTAH rounded out the poll, tying for eighth place, with 20 points each.

Pac-12 teams occupy three of the top five spots in the USA Today/NFCA Preseason Coaches Poll with No. 1 Washington, No. 4 UCLA and No. 5 Arizona. Arizona State makes the top-25 at No. 22  with Oregon and Stanford receiving votes.

All three Pac-12 Women’s College World Series participants from 2019 are ranked in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason Poll with No. 2 Washington, No. 4 UCLA and No. 5 Arizona, while Arizona State checked in at No. 22 and Oregon at No. 24 to give the Pac-12 five teams in the top-25.

The Pac-12 has dominated collegiate softball as 24 of a possible 38 national titles have been claimed by Conference programs. The 2020 Pac-12 softball season begins Thursday, Feb. 6 with Cal at FIU in the Felsberg Invitational, Stanford at GCU, Oregon versus Utah Valley in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge and UCLA versus CSU Bakersfield in the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament.

2020 Pac-12 Softball Coaches Poll (first-place votes)