Feb. 1, 2012

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Loyola Marymount Softball sits alone at the top this year for the 2012 Pacific Coast Softball Conference coaches' poll. LMU received 5 first place votes as the overall PCSC Champion and 9 first place votes in favor of defending their Coastal Division Crown.

All 12 conference head coaches voted in the poll. Each head coach predicted the order of finish in both the Coastal and Mountain Division and also chose an overall conference champion. A school receiving a first-place vote to win their division scored six points, second place was worth five points and so forth.

The Lions are coming off a 2011 Coastal Division Championship, going 16-4 in conference and 32-27 overall. Hungry for more, the Lions are looking for redemption after falling to Portland State last year for the overall PCSC crown. Returning 18 players and adding 2 the Lions look to grow upon their success from last season.

Leading the way will be senior sluggers Sam Fischer and Kelly Sarginson who are both chasing career batting records in homeruns and RBIs. Sarginson is coming into the 2012 season as the reigning record holder for homeruns in a season after her 18 trips around the bases last year. The Lions also have experience coming from the pitcher circle. Reigning PCSC Pitcher of the Year, Molly Medeiros is ready for another year after a breakout 2011.

Each team will play a 20-game conference schedule, playing each school within its division in a four-game series. The winners of the Coastal and Mountain Division will meet in the best-of-three PCSC Championship Series, with the winner receiving the PCSC's automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

Since the PCSC began play, Loyola Marymount and Portland State have both won three conference titles. The Lions won the inaugural crown in 2003 and added titles in 2005 and 2007. Portland State captured its first PCSC title in 2006 and followed with championships in 2006 and 2009. Santa Clara (2004), Sacramento State (2008) and Saint Mary's (2010) have won one title apiece.

2012 PCSC Preseason Coaches Poll

Coastal Division
Loyola Marymount (9) 69
San Diego (2)                 56
Sacramento State            52
Saint Mary's (1)               35     
Cal State Bakersfield        26
Santa Clara                     14

Mountain Division
Portland State (8)             67
Northern Colorado (4)       53
Utah Valley                      49
Idaho State                     33
Seattle                            32
Weber State                     18

Overall Champion: Loyola Marymount 5, Portland State 3, San Diego 2, Northern Colorado 1,

Saint Mary's 1.

( ) - first place votes in parenthesis.

--GO LIONS--