AUGUSTA, GA –- The Georgia Southwestern softball team was picked to finish sixth in the Peach Belt Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, released Thursday morning by the league.

Head coach Nicki Levering enters her third year with the Lady Hurricanes and is looking forward to returning back to the PBC Tournament for the third consecutive year. Last season, they finished 29-26, going 10-10 in PBC play as they lost in the championship game to finish PBC Tournament Runner-Up.

The Lady Hurricanes are set to return several seniors such as pitcher Shannon Gibson, infielder Aimee Oglesby and outfielder Mackenzy McFarland along with Chloe Zoeller and Lauren Kuerzi who all helped GSW reach the PBC Tournament last year. 

Gibson led GSW from the mound where she finished with 12 wins, 12 complete games, 137 IP and 74 strikeouts. Oglesby was 3rd on the team with seven home runs as she had 66 assists with eight double plays. Zoeller was second on the team with a .315 batting average with 53 hits as Kuerzi finished the season with 357 putouts, leading the team with a .989 fielding percentage.

GSW, who was ranked 7th in last year's poll, will open their season in the Flagler Invitational on Jan. 31- Feb. 1.

The coaches poll is listed below with first-place votes in parentheses. Coaches were not permitted to rank their own teams.

2020 Peach Belt Softball
Preseason Coaches Poll