Jan. 29, 2008

By Kyle Herm
www.SIUSalukis.com

ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Poll

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The 2008 Southern Illinois softball team received preseason recognition for the second time Tuesday, after the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) announced its ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Preseason Poll.

The Salukis received six votes in the others receiving votes section, tying them with Long Beach State, Loyola Marymount and BYU.

Two-time defending National Champions, Arizona, tops the poll with 487 points, and earning 14 first-place votes. Arizona State stands in second with 468 points, and three first-place votes, while Texas A&M rounds out the top three with 465 points and two first-place votes. UCLA, ranked at No. 10, received the final first-place vote.

In addition to SIU, two other Missouri Valley Conference teams that appeared in last season's NCAA Tournament received votes. Creighton earned 13, while Illinois State came in right behind the Salukis with five.

Three of SIU's 2008 tournament opponents are ranked in the preseason top 25. Northwestern came in at No. 6, Washington at No. 14, and Hawaii at No. 16. Another Saluki opponent, Mississippi State, also received four votes in the preseason poll.

In the first preseason poll, released Jan. 23, the Salukis earned seven votes in The USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll.

The Southern Illinois softball team will begin the 2008 season, Feb. 8 at the Jacksonville University Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. for the second-straight year. The Salukis have games scheduled against UNC-Greensboro, Coastal Carolina, Minnesota and Jacksonville at the three-day tournament.