Cortland softball ranked 24th nationally in preseason poll

The SUNY Cortland softball team is ranked 24th nationally in Division III in the preseason poll released by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).

Cortland is ranked 24th in the preseason for the third straight season. Last spring, the Red Dragons finished with a 33-15 record and won their 15th State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) title. Cortland became the first program in SUNYAC softball history to win three consecutive league crowns.

Cortland made its 22nd NCAA tournament appearance, and 13th in the last 15 years, and reached the 30-win level for the 15th time in the last 16 years. The Red Dragons hosted and won a four-team NCAA regional, then lost in a best-of-three NCAA Super Regional at eventual national runner-up St. John Fisher to tie for ninth place nationally.

Last spring, the Red Dragons finished with a 38-11 record and won their 14th State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) title.

Under 24th-year head coach Julie Lenhart, Cortland will open its season with 10 contests at the Sunkissed Games in Kissimmee, Fla, from March 11-16. Cortland will face 14th-ranked Ramapo and 17th-ranked Washington-St. Louis during that tournament. The Red Dragons will also play road doubleheaders at second-ranked St. John Fisher (April 10), 20th-ranked Ithaca (April 18) and 21st-ranked Kean (March 24).

Cortland opens its SUNYAC schedule with a doubleheader at Oswego on March 31. The Red Dragons' home opener is slated for April 4 with a twinbill against Rochester.