Colorado Springs, Colo.—After a vote of the nine softball head coaches in the Mountain West Conference, San José State was selected as the preseason favorite in the 2020 MW Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll.
"This is an honor for our team to be considered as a top team in the Mountain West," said Spartan head coach Peter Turner. "The true results will play out on the field."
The Spartans received 53 points and two first-place votes. San Diego State garnered three first-place votes but only 50 points for second. Defending champion Colorado State is picked third along with UNLV as each school had 45 points and a first-place vote. Fresno State is fifth at 44 points and a first-place vote, while Boise State is sixth with 41 points and a first-place vote.
San José State finished the 2019 season with a 37-16 overall record and a 17-7 MW record, good for second place. Sophomore pitcher Jenessa Ullegue returns after being named the 2019 MW Pitcher of the Year, while senior Cassidy Clark returns after being named the 2019 MW Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Other All-MW honorees returning include sophomore infielder Alyssa Graham who was a first team selection and junior pitcher Caroline Bowman who was a second team honoree.
The 2020 Spartans open the season at the Titan Classic, February 7-8, in Fullerton, Calif. The team plays Loyola Marymount, Cal State Fullerton, UC Riverside and Middle Tennessee.
San José State hosts the Silicon Valley Classic I from February 21-23 at the Spartan Softball Field. The team will face Cal Baptist and Cal Poly on the 21st and Yale and North Dakota on the 22nd.
The Silicon Valley Classic II will be played from March 5-8. That tournament, the Spartans will face St. Francis, Saint Mary's, UC Santa Barbara and Washington.
The home portion of the Mountain West schedule has four weekends of conference play at the Spartan Softball Field – New Mexico March 13-15; Fresno State March 27-29; UNLV April 9-11; and San Diego State April 24-26.
Tickets are available at the gate or by calling the Spartan Ticket Office at (408) 924-SJTX. Single-game tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for youth 12 and under and free for SJSU students with a valid Tower ID Card. On Sundays, all youth 12 and under free at Spartan Athletics events.
2020 MW Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Team (first place votes) Points
1. San José State (2) 53
2. San Diego State (3) 50
3. Colorado State (1) 45
3. UNLV (1) 45
5. Fresno State (1) 44
6. Boise State (1) 41
7. Nevada 23
8. Utah State 15
9. New Mexico 8