1/23/20
AUGUSTA, Ga. – After winning six straight Peach Belt Conference regular season and tournament championships, the No. 16 University of North Georgia softball team has been picked to win the league’s regular season championship by the head coaches, the conference announced Thursday morning.
UNG takes the top spot in the preseason poll for the fifth year in a row and 10th time since 2009 with six first-place votes and 96 total points. Young Harris took the remaining five first-place votes and 92 total points. Columbus State, Flagler and Georgia College rounded out the top five.
North Georgia won their sixth consecutive PBC regular-season championship in 2019, the longest streak of titles in PBC softball history. The Nighthawks also won their sixth-straight PBC Tournament title, also the longest run ever in the PBC. UNG finished 2019 with a 45-13 record, 16-4 in league play, and hosted NCAA Tournament play for the sixth year in a row. The 2020 Nighthawks return D2CCA Ron Lenz National Pitcher of the Year Kylee Smith to the circle for her senior season. Smith will be one of five seniors on the team in a group that includes All-Conference catcher Shelby Hammontree and All-Conference outfielder Kaylyn Anthony.
Coaches were not permitted to rank their own teams.