RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky University's softball team was picked to finish second out of 12 teams in the Ohio Valley Conference in a preseason poll of league head coaches and sports information directors.  
 
The Colonels received 224 points with nine first-place votes to grab the nod over third place Jacksonville State (211 points and two first-place votes) in the poll. Southeast Missouri State was preseason favorite to win the league with 228 points (13 first-place votes).
 
Murray State (167), SIUE (151), Austin Peay (143), UT Martin (109), Tennessee Tech (97), Eastern Illinois (92), Belmont (88), Tennessee State (34) and Morehead State (32) rounded out the poll.
 
EKU returns all nine starters and 17-of-18 players off last year's 22-2 team. The Colonels return their top 11 hitters from last years' team, who all hit above .200 on the season. The pitching rotation returns all four pitchers from a year ago that finished with a team ERA of 1.86.
 
Eastern finished last year 31st in the nation home runs per game, 59th in scoring and 76th in batting average and on base percentage. The rotation finished eighth in strikeout-to-walk ratio, and 21st in earned run average and shutouts.
 
Ariyana Miranda was named to the OVC Players to Watch list. The redshirt-freshman from Elk Grove, California finished the 2020 season with a .320 batting average, six doubles, six home runs and 23 RBIs. Miranda's six home runs and 23 RBIs lead the team a year ago.
 
The Colonels hit the field for the first-time next weekend when they travel to Macon, Georgia to take on Mercer University in a three-game series starting on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.