USA South releases preseason coaches polls for spring sports

Fayetteville, NC - The USA South Athletic Conference has released its spring sport coaches polls. Leading the way for North Carolina Wesleyan is the Battling Bishops' softball team, which received a fourth-place billing among the league's 10 institutions.  Men's tennis also was tabbed fourth among seven USA South squads, while women's tennis was voted eighth. Men's golf earned a sixth-place finish to round out the spring voting. 

Head coach John Brackett returns five starters from a 2007 squad that turned in a 22-13 record and fourth place league finish.  Leading the way are seniors Ashlee Bass and Libby Fulford.  Bass, a 2006 All-American, batted .446 last season, while Fulford turned in a 16-9 record on the mound.

In men's tennis, first-year head coach Dominic Modise returns two letterwinners from last year's squad.  The Bishops finished in fourth place in 2007 after posting a 6-9 overall record and 3-3 league mark.  Mike Harrison and Matt Smith head Modise's returners.  Each had a 3-3 record in USA South competition last season and look to compliment a host of newcomers.

On the women's side, Modise has his work cut out for him with only one returner listed on the roster. 

Like Modise, head coach Mark Cole enters his first season with the men's golf program.  Cole's team showed tremendous improvement in the Bishops' fall scrimmages, recording a first place finish along the way.  Sophomore Chris Crews is Wesleyan's lone returner, but Cole has added a talented host of newcomers that will likely benefit from the team's first season at its new Ford's Colony home.

Both the men's and women's tennis teams open up their seasons on February 23rd at Chowan University.  Golf follows on March 1st and 2nd at the Marlin Invitational in Virginia Beach, while softball opens up in Myrtle Beach the following weekend.

Complete poll results for each sport are posted below.