OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – In the second preseason poll released on Tuesday, Auburn is ranked No. 17 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. The Tigers were also selected in the same spot in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll earlier in the day.
Auburn, which finished No. 20 in the final ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 a season ago, received 156 total points after concluding the 2018 season with a 41-17 record. The Tigers are one of 10 Southeastern Conference ranked in the preseason poll.
Second-year head coach Mickey Dean returns preseason All-SEC selection Makayla Martin in the pitching circle as Martin looks to cap a stellar Auburn career with a standout senior season in 2019. Martin and now departed Kaylee Carlson paced the pitching staff to a collective 1.37 ERA, the lowest in school history, last season.
Auburn begins the 2019 season in the Sand Dollar Classic against Tennessee State next Friday at 2:00 p.m. The Tigers will begin their 33-game home slate on Feb. 14 against UAB as part of the Plainsman Invitational. Tickets are still available. Last season, Auburn posted a 29-3 record in games played at Jane B. Moore Field, including 9-3 against SEC teams. The Tigers won all four SEC home series, each against ranked opponents, in 2018.
The ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll is voted on by coaching representatives of 10 Division I Conferences in the 10 USA Softball Regions as well as members of the national and local media who consistently cover Division I softball across the country.
The remainder of the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 can be seen here.