A middle of the pack finish is expected for the Fort Lewis College Skyhawks’ softball team.
FLC was voted seventh out of the 14 teams in the 2014 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll.
Colorado Mesa was selected first with nine of 13 first-place votes after going 24-11-1 last season and advancing to the RMAC Tournament quarterfinals.
CSU-Pueblo finished second in the poll, followed by Adams State, who received one first-place vote.
Fifth-place UC-Colorado Springs received another first-place vote, while reigning champion Colorado Mines, which was picked eighth, got the other two.
Colorado Christian senior outfielder Hannah Rapoport was selected as the RMAC Preseason Player of the Year after hitting .406 last season.
Colorado Mesa’s Jessica Severinsen was selected as the Preseason Pitcher of the Year. She went 19-6 last season with a 2.31 earned-run average while batting .388 and hitting 14 home runs.
FLC’s Chelsea Rodriguez was named to the 2014 Preseason All-Conference Team at third base after leading FLC with a .348 batting average and eight home runs.
The Skyhawks will open their season against Texas Woman’s University in Montanta State-Billings’ Desert Stinger tournament Feb. 7 in Las Vegas. Their first home game is against Adams State on March 1 at Aspen Field.
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