St. John Fisher College, which has captured each of the past two conference tournaments, was chosen to take the title again in the Empire 8 Softball Preseason Coaches Poll. The Cardinals, who entered the tournament as the second seed last year and have defeated perennial champion Ithaca College in the finals each of the past two years, split the first-place votes with the Bombers.
Fisher, which received votes in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III Preseason Poll, returns all but three players from last year's team that won 32 games. The Cardinals will open the 2010 season on Saturday at the Tucson Invitational.
Here's the complete poll:
2010 Empire 8 Softball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. St. John Fisher College (4 first-place votes) 46 points
2. Ithaca College (4) 45
3. Alfred University 37
4. Nazareth College 27
5. Rochester Institute of Technology 26
6. Elmira College 18
7. Utica College 17
8. Stevens Institute of Technology 8