Jan. 28, 2004
Columbia, Mo. - 2003 Big 12 Coach of the Year Ty Singleton and his team of 17 women have been voted fifth in the preseason Big 12 Conference poll released Wednesday morning. Oklahoma was selected first, receiving six first-place votes, with Nebraska ranked second earning four. Two Texas schools, Texas A&M and defending Big 12 Conference Champion Texas, stand above Missouri with 62 and 57 points respectively.
Totaling 45 points, Missouri was followed by Baylor, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Iowa State and Texas Tech. Missouri closed out the 2003 regular-season with a third-place finish in the conference, while Oklahoma took fourth and claimed runner-up honors in the conference tournament.
Five Big 12 schools received top-25 honors in the 2004 preseason ESPN/USA Collegiate Softball Poll. Oklahoma stands ranked fourth, with Nebraska in eighth, Texas at 11th and Texas A&M at 17th.
Coming off of a 31-20 season, the University of Missouri softball team will open the 2004 campaign on Friday, Feb. 6, at the Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla. The three-day tournament will pair Missouri against Appalachian State, Arkansas, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Florida and South Florida.
Missouri will begin Big 12 Conference play on the road against Texas on March 27, with the Big 12 Tournament held May 13-16.
2004 Big 12 Softball Coaches Preseason Poll Team (first-place votes) Points 1. Oklahoma (6) 78 2. Nebraska (4) 75 3. Texas A&M 62 4. Texas 57 5. Missouri 45 6. Baylor 44 7. Oklahoma State 34 8. Kansas 25 9. Iowa State 19 10. Texas Tech 11