NEW YORK - Three-time defending champion DePaul was picked as the BIG EAST softball favorite when the conference released the Preseason Coaches' Poll on Monday. The Blue Demons received six first-place votes and a total of 48 points, as the league's head coaches ranked the teams one through seven and were not allowed to vote for their own programs.
Villanova received the two remaining first-place votes and was chosen to be the runner-up with 43 points, followed by St. John's with 34 points and Creighton with 30 points. Seton Hall (fifth, 25 points) and Providence (sixth, 22 points) rounded out the top six, while Butler (14) and Georgetown (8) ranked seventh and eighth, respectively.