The Piedmont College softball team has been picked first in the West Division USA South Preseason Coaches Poll released earlier today by the conference office.
The Lady Lions are coming off a regular season USA South title going 29-15 overall and 16-4 in the USA South in 2016.
For the first year in softball, the conference has been split into divisions with coaches only voting for their divisions and not voting for their own teams. Piedmont earned six of eight first place votes taking 47 points in the poll while Maryville came in second with one first place vote and 42 points overall with LaGrange in third with the remaining first place vote.
Piedmont won the USA South regular season title last season after being picked fourth in the preseason poll behind Averett, William Peace and LaGrange, respectively. N.C. Wesleyan took the top spot in the East Division with five of the eight first place votes with Ferrum, Meredith and William Peace all earning one first place vote each.
The Lady Lions open the season at home taking on Brenau University Saturday, February 4 for a doubleheader beginning at 12.
The 2017 USA South Softball Tournament will feature the top-six teams from each division and begin on the weekend of April 7-9. The top-three seeds from each division will host best-of-three series. The winners of those series will advance to a six-team double-elimination tournament which will be played April 13-15 at the Shuford Softball Complex in LaGrange, Georgia as a part of the USA South Spring Sports Festival, hosted by the City of LaGrange and Troup County.
| 2017 USA South Softball Coaches Preseason Poll West Division |
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| Rank | Institution (1st Place Votes) | Pts. |
| 1. | Piedmont (6) | 47 |
| 2. | Maryville (1) | 42 |
| 3. | LaGrange (1) | 33 |
| 4. | Salem | 32 |
| 5. | Huntingdon | 31 |
| 6. | Covenant | 17 |
| 7. | Agnes Scott | 14 |
| 8. | Wesleyan | 8 |
Piedmont Lions Sports Information
