Palomar picked in preseason poll

The softball season is just 24 hours away and the sports information directors from the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference have picked Palomar College to repeat as PCAC champions.  The Comets were a unanimous choice.

Palomar has won or shared six straight PCAC titles, and in the past five seasons has gone 85-1 in conference play.  The race for second in the PCAC Sports Information Director's Poll was very tight, with Southwestern College edging out San Diego Mesa College.  Southwestern finished with three second place votes while Mesa had two.  Last season's runner-up, Imperial Valley, finished fifth in the voting.

Palomar was a perfect 16-0 a season ago, finishing four games ahead of Imperial Valley College for the conference title.  Palomar went deep into the state tournament before getting turned aside by Mt. San Antonio College in the state finals, 5-4.  Despite losing their top pitcher and top hitter, Palomar returns a number of key players from the 2018 squad including Allie Hughen, Kylie Pignone and Kiyona Villanueva.  The Comets are also likely to add a number of stellar freshmen into the mix as they seek their seventh straight PCAC title.

Southwestern was second in the voting after finishing 24-15 overall last season and 11-5 in Pacific Coast (3^rd) play.  The Jaguars were seeded No. 14 in the Southern California Regional Tournament, falling in two straight games to perennial power Cypress College.  Southwestern returns a number of key players from last season's playoff squad, including Cassie Van Til, Trudie Nixon and Brielle Tyseling.  Southwestern has finished in the top three in the PCAC standings in each of the last five seasons.  Could this be their year?

San Diego Mesa finished just two points behind Southwestern in the voting and was picked third by the sports information directors.  The Olympians were 22-12 overall last season and 10-6 in PCAC play, finishing in four place.  San Diego Mesa lost All-Southern California second baseman Savannah Wallace to graduation, but hopes that returners Annmarie Fischer and Hayley Jenkins can get the freshman-dominated lineup up-and-running quickly.  Mesa last made the playoffs in 2015 after finishing in a tie for second place in the PCAC.  The Olympians were the last team other than Palomar to win a PCAC title, finishing in a tie with the Comets atop the standings in 2013. 

Grossmont edged out Imperial Valley for fourth place in the voting, followed by Mt. San Jacinto, San Diego City, San Bernardino Valley and Desert.

 PCAC SPORTS INFORMATION POLL RESULTS