NEW HAVEN, Conn.- The Caldwell University Softball team was picked to finish in second place in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Preseason Coaches poll as released today by the conference office. The 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and no conference games or championship was played last season.
 
Georgian Court University captured the top spot in the poll with four first-place votes and 165 points. The Cougars earned four first-place votes and 163 points, slightly edging Wilmington University with four first place votes and 160 points.
 
Dominican College received one first-place vote and 154 points to take the fourth spot with Post University earning one first place vote and 134 points to take fifth place. Thomas Jefferson University (114), Felician University (98) and Bloomfield College (98) rounded out the top eight in the conference.
 
The Caldwell softball went 2-4 in a pandemic shortened season in 2020. Senior catcher Paige Sandoval (Alisa Viejo, Calif.) returns as one of the Cougars top performers this season after earning CACC Second Team All-Conference honors in 2019. She finished with two doubles and three RBI last season. Junior pitcher Mariah Culver (Owego, N.Y.) was a CACC Second Team All-Conference pitcher in 2019 and returns to lead the Cougars in the circle in 2021.
 
The Cougars are under the leadership of Head Coach Dean Johnson, who enters his 27th season as Caldwell's head coach. He ranks in the top-20 among active winningest coaches in Division II Johnson enters the 2021 season with a career coaching record of 830-385-3
 
2021 CACC SOFTBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL

Rank	School	Points	1st-Place Votes
1.	Georgian Court University	165	4
2.	Caldwell University	163	4
3.	Wilmington University	160	4
4.	Dominican College	154	1
5.	Post University	134	1
6.	Thomas Jefferson University	114
T7.	Bloomfield College	98
T7.	Felician University	98
9.	Nyack College	89
10.	University of the Sciences	71
11.	Concordia College	59
12.	Chestnut Hill College	57
13.	Goldey-Beacom College	49
14.	Holy Family University	45