Scott Moriak, SID Assistant – Florida State University
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The No. 12/15 Florida State softball team has been chosen as the favorite to win the 2014 Atlantic Coast Conference softball regular season, as voted by the league’s 11 head coaches. FSU received 98 points and eight first-place votes.
“Our conference is going to be very tough this year with the addition of some very competitive teams to our weekend battles,” said head coach Lonni Alameda. “The ACC has been driven as a conference to play tough schedules and grow our postseason numbers. It is an honor that the coaches have voted Florida State in the top spot, but we are all working hard to push the ACC to be one of the best conferences in the country.”
It is the first time that the Seminoles have been picked to win the conference since 2010. FSU finished 2013 with a 44-19 record and posted an 18-2 mark against conference opponents. The ‘Noles advanced to the NCAA Super Regional against Texas and lost to NC State in the ACC Championship game. Florida State has played in the ACC Championship game in four of the past five seasons.
NC State, which finished the regular season in second place and won the conference tournament last year, received 87 points, including the remaining three first-place votes. Notre Dame, beginning its first year in ACC play, came in third with 80 points.
Rounding out the top five were North Carolina with 74 points and Virginia Tech with 70 points. The remainder of the poll saw Maryland with 50 points, Syracuse with 42 points, Georgia Tech with 40 points, Virginia with 26 points, Pitt with 24 points and Boston College with 14 points.
The No. 12/15 Florida State softball team will begin its season at 4:00 p.m. ET on February 7 against No. 9/9 Nebraska at the Hotel Encanto Classic hosted by New Mexico State University.
Follow Florida State softball on Twitter (@FSU_Softball) and Instagram (fsusoftball), and like our Facebook page (Facebook.com/FSUsoftball) to keep up with all of the offseason coverage heading into the 2014 season.
2014 ACC Softball Preseason Prediction
Rank Team Points (First-Place Votes) 2013 Record (ACC)
1. Florida State 98 (8) 44-19 (18-2)
2. NC State 87 (3) 35-20 (13-7)
3. Notre Dame 80 43-15
4. North Carolina 74 40-21 (13-8)
5. Virginia Tech 70 38-21 (9-11)
6. Maryland 50 31-26 (13-8)
7. Syracuse 42 23-29
8. Georgia Tech 40 25-30 (10-10)
9. Virginia 26 21-28 (4-17)
10. Pitt 24 19-29
11. Boston College 14 14-38 (2-19)
