DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Softball Selected Second in BIG EAST Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1/20/2022 1:59:00 PM | SOFTBALL
Blue Demons picked receive three first-place votes from league coaches
CHICAGO - DePaul softball was selected to finish second in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll as announced by the league office on Thursday afternoon.
Villanova, the reigning BIG EAST tournament champion, was selected the preseason favorite with six first-place votes while the Blue Demons earned the three remaining first-place tallies.
Connecticut slotted in third with Creighton and Butler rounding out the top-five. The poll is based on a vote of the league's head coaches who are not permitted to vote for their own teams.
DePaul returns a core group of experienced veterans from a season ago which saw the Blue Demons capture the BIG EAST regular season title with a 13-1 record. Graduate students Maranda Gutierrez, Natalie Halvorson, Skylor Hilger, and Kate Polucha are set to lead the charge with 16 letterwinners returning this spring.
Transfer pitcher Sarah Lehman will look to make an immediate impact on the DePaul pitching staff as one of five dynamic newcomers set to don the blue and red for the first time in 2022.
Head Coach Tracie Adix-Zins enters her fourth season at the helm of the Blue Demons program and has amassed a 68-39 record in her time leading her alma mater. Adix-Zins led DePaul to a BIG EAST tournament title in her first season in 2019 and earned BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors in 2021.
The 2022 slate opens up on Feb. 10 as the Blue Demons host the DePaul Dome Tournament in Rosemont, Ill. Adix-Zins and Co. will meet Valparaiso, Western Michigan, St. Thomas and Murray State in the season-opening weekend.
DePaul begins BIG EAST play with a three-game series against Butler March 18-20 at Cacciatore Stadium.
BIG EAST Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Villanova 62 (6 first-place votes)
2. DePaul 58 (3)
3. UConn 48
4. Creighton 41
5. Butler 39
6. St. John's 26
7. Seton Hall 22
8. Providence 20
9. Georgetown 8
