Tar Heels Ranked Second In ACC Preseason Poll

North Carolina has been ranked second in the 2018 Atlantic Coast Conference preseason softball poll, as voted on by the ACC head coaches and released Tuesday by the league. The Tar Heels, conference runners-up last season, received 121 points and one first-place vote.

"It's nice to be recognized like that but we have a lot of work to do for the season," said UNC coach Donna J. Papa, who is heading into her 33rd season with the Tar Heels. "When the dust clears, hopefully we'll have ourselves in a good position for the ACC Tournament and beyond."

Defending champion Florida State was voted the league favorite, with 121 points and 11 first-place votes. After UNC, Notre Dame, Louisville and Boston College round out the top five.

UNC opens the 2018 season Saturday at the UCF Friends of Jaclyn Invitational in Longwood, Fla. The Tar Heels take on Butler and Louisville on Saturday then meet Providence and the host Golden Knights on Sunday. The Tar Heels' first home game is Feb. 14 at 4 p.m. vs. Elon.

"We're looking forward to playing some quality competition right out of the gate this season," Papa said. "When you first start your season, certainly there are going to be some things you find out you need to get better at and some things you'll do well, and hopefully as a team we'll start to come together and build our foundation for the rest of the season. We're excited to get started."

For the complete ACC release, click here.

2018 ACC Softball Preseason Poll
1. Florida State (11) – 121 points
2. North Carolina (1) – 105 points
3. Notre Dame – 97 points
4. Louisville – 90 points
5. Boston College – 85 points
6. Syracuse – 62 points
7. Virginia Tech – 57 points
8. Virginia – 43 points
9. Pitt – 42 points
10. NC State – 41 points
11. Georgia Tech – 29 points
12. Duke – 20 points

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University of North Carolina Athletics

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