Midwestern State and Angelo State are the favorites to win the Lone Star Conference softball divisional titles in 2008 as the preseason polls were announced by league officials on Tuesday.

      MSU is favored to win a third straight divisional crown in the LSC North Division, while ASU is the top choice to win the LSC South Division for the second consecutive year.

      The 2008 season begins in early February, and the LSC has 14 teams competing with seven in each division.

North Division

      Midwestern State is the favorite in the Lone Star Conference North Division after claiming its third consecutive division title and second straight league tournament championship in 2007.

      MSU, which finished the season with a 44-16 mark and an appearance in the NCAA South Central Regional, received nine first-place votes on the 16 ballots cast by LSC coaches, sports information directors and various media representatives.

      The Mustangs tallied 99 points in the poll, just six points ahead of Central Oklahoma's second place total.  MSU's Kristen Stonecipher was named LSC North Division Preseason Player of the Year.  Last season, she earned second-team All-LSC North and first-team NFCA All-South Central Region honors at third base, after hitting a team best .389 with eight homers and 50 RBIs.

      The Bronchos Alli Blake was tabbed LSC North Division Preseason Pitcher of the Year.  Blake returns after leading the league in earned run average (1.57) with a 13-7 mark in the circle last year.

      UCO earned three first-place votes to finish second with 93 points, while Southeastern Oklahoma was third with 79 points and three first-place votes as well.  Northeastern State was fourth with 69 points and one first-place tally, followed by Cameron in fifth with 51, Southwestern Oklahoma in sixth with 35 and East Central seventh with 22.

South Division

      Angelo State is the unanimous choice to win a second straight Lone Star Conference South Division title.  ASU received all 18 first-place votes on the 18 ballots cast by LSC coaches, sports information directors and various media representatives.

      The Rambelles, who set a LSC record for wins (53-13) and made its second World Series appearance in four years, tallied 126 total points.  ASU returns nine seniors and four All-Americans including the LSC South Division Preseason Pitcher of the Year Kari Galm and Preseason Player of the Year Macy Baker.

      Galm became the first ASU pitcher to claim All-America honors in 2007 with a school-record 32 wins, just eight losses and a 1.91 earned run average.  She also set the Rambelles single-season marks for innings pitched (253), appearances (43), starts (36) and complete games (31) and shutouts (8).

      Baker, a shortstop, led ASU with a .390 batting average along with a LSC best 63 RBIs.  She also hit 14 doubles and nine home runs en route to earning LSC South Division Player of the Year acclaim in 2007.

      Tarleton State finished second in the poll with 97 points.  Abilene Christian was third with 78 points, followed by Texas A&M-Kingsville in fourth with 70 and Eastern New Mexico in fifth with 54.  Texas Woman's was sixth with 51 points and West Texas A&M was seventh with 28.

      Here's a closer look at the voting breakdown for each division:

Rank	North Division	1st	TOTAL
1	Midwestern State	9	99
2	Central Oklahoma	3	93
3	Southeastern Oklahoma	3	79
4	Northeastern State	1	69
5	Cameron		51
6	Southwestern Oklahoma		35
7	East Central		22

 

Rank	South Division	1st	TOTAL
1	Angelo State	18	126
2	Tarleton State		97
3	Abilene Christian		78
4	Texas A&M-Kingsville		70
5	Eastern New Mexico		54
6	Texas Woman's		51
7	West Texas A&M		28