Ladies Softball Picked to Finish Sixth in SCAC In Preseason Poll

Lawrenceville, Ga. – The Centenary Ladies softball team is predicted to finish sixth in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference this season by the league's coaches based on balloting in the annual preseason coaches' poll, it was announced on Thursday.

Texas Lutheran was picked to win the conference this season and received 64 points and eight first-place votes. Southwestern was picked second with 46 points. Schreiner, Trinity, and St. Thomas are projected to finish third through fifth just ahead of the Ladies, who received 31 points. The University of Dallas and Austin College are picked to finish in seventh and eighth.

Head Coach Mark Suire enters his sixth season at the helm this season. Suire took over a program prior to the 2016 season that had not won double-digit games since 2010 and finished above .500 since 2009.  The Ladies were picked to finish seventh in the SCAC standings and miss the conference tournament but the Maroon and White defied the odds and finished fifth with a 20-20 record. Five different Ladies received All-Conference accolades, including First Team Utility Player Haley Miller, marking the first time in three seasons that the Ladies had a First Team all-conference selection. The Ladies qualified for the SCAC Tournament and defeated Southwestern in their opening game for their first SCAC Tournament win in program history. Centenary ended up going 3-2 to finish third in the event and clinched the program's first winning season in seven seasons.

Centenary finished 6-6 and 2-1 in SCAC play last season, one cut short due to COVID-19. The six wins gives Suire 82 in his Centenary career, moving him into third place in career wins. He also ranks third in career winning percentage (.456). The Ladies have finished third in the SCAC Tournament three times, tied for fifth once, and finished fourth or better three times in the regular season standings.

The Ladies open the regular season on Saturday at Texas-Dallas with a non-conference doubleheader set for 2 and 4 p.m. Live stats and live video are available for both games via www.gocentenary.com.

Centenary's home opener will be Saturday, Feb. 27 versus Millsaps with a doubleheader set for 2 and 4 p.m. The Ladies open SCAC play at home versus Austin College March 6-7. The 2021 SCAC Softball Tournament will be held in Kerrville, Texas April 29-May 1.

The Ladies' complete 2021 schedule can be found here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/sball/2020-21/schedule

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