SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco State softball team has been selected to finish fourth in the 2022 CCAA softball preseason coaches' poll.

Chico State was a nearly unanimous selection to win the 2022 CCAA softball championship as the Wildcats garnered nine of 10 first-place votes in the preseason coaches' poll. The Wildcats collected 99 of the possible 100 points in the poll. Sonoma State placed second in the poll with 81 points, and Cal State Dominguez finished third (72 points). San Francisco State grabbed the remaining first-place vote to rank fourth with 69 points.

SF State edged out Cal State Monterey Bay, 69-67, for fourth in the CCAA preseason poll. The Gators have been the most prolific CCAA team on the bases in recent years, leading the conference in steals in each of the past three seasons. They will return 2019 CCAA Freshman of the Year and NFCA Second Team All-America selection Brylynn Vallejos (.424/.539/.612), who led the team with 28 steals (32 attempts) in 2020.

The Gators also return Lehua DeLeon and Sydney Jenkins from the 2019 and 2020 rosters, as well as Halle Nugent, who was a freshman in 2020.

SF State features a brand-new pitching staff featuring Madeline Eshbach, Taylor Kelly, Kaitlyn Maddux, and Maya Weigel-Murphy.

Cal State San Bernardino (52 points), Humboldt State (33 points), Cal State San Marcos (28), Stanislaus State (25), and Cal State East Bay (24) rounded out the 2022 CCAA preseason coaches' poll

The Gators begin play on Friday, February 4, at the Concordia Kickoff Classic in Irvine. CCAA play begins Friday, February 18 at Sonoma State.

All ten teams will be vying to earn one of the six spots in the CCAA Softball Tournament in Seaside, California, May 5-8. To learn more about the CCAA Softball Tournament, click here.
 

2022 CCAA Softball Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank	Institution	Points (First-place votes)
1.	Chico State	99 (9)
2.	Sonoma State	81
3.	Cal State Dominguez Hills	72
4.	San Francisco State	69 (1)
5.	Cal State Monterey Bay	67
6.	Cal State San Bernardino	52
7.	Humboldt State	33
8.	Cal State San Marcos	28
9.	Stanislaus State	25
10.	Cal State East Bay	24