MITCHELL — Dakota Wesleyan University's softball team was picked to finish tied for 11th in the 12-team preseason poll of the Great Plains Athletic Conference's coaches, which was released Friday.
The Tigers were tied with the College of St. Mary (Neb.) for 11th place with 20 points received. Jamestown and Morningside tied as preseason favorites in the conference, with the Jimmies having a 6-4 edge in first place votes. Midland was picked third (99 points), Concordia was fourth (95) and Northwestern was fifth (81). Points in the poll were awarded on an 11-1 basis and coaches could not vote for their own team.
DWU was 10-28 overall in 2021 and 2-20 in GPAC play. The top-eight finishers in the conference standings advance to the conference tournament in early May.
The Tigers open the season on Saturday, Feb. 5 with a doubleheader at the Minot Dome in Minot, North Dakota. DWU faces Minnesota-Crookston at 11:30 a.m. and Minot State at 7 p.m., followed by Sunday games against Mary (N.D.) and Valley City State (N.D.).
DWU is scheduled to play its first 29 games on the road, including 11 indoor games this month in Minot and Aberdeen. The DWU home opener is scheduled for April 2 against Morningside. The Tigers play 12 of their 18 games at home in April, including the final 10 games of the regular season.
