North Georgia 3rd, Armstrong 21st in Softball Preseason Top 25

STARKVILLE, MISS – The North Georgia Saints will begin the 2012 softball season ranked #3 in the nation while Armstrong Atlantic State is 21st as the National Fastpich Coaches Association (NFCA) released its preseason top 25 poll on Wednesday.   Flagler also received votes in the poll.

UC San Diego (45-13) will begin its defense of the 2011 national title as the No. 1 team in the land after receiving all 16 first-place votes. After finishing as the national runner-up two of the last three years, Alabama-Huntsville (48-6-1) is No. 2 in the nation.

North Georgia will start their 2012 campaign as the No. 3 team in the land as they run their streak of consecutive weeks ranked in the nation's top five to 31, dating back to March 11, 2009, when the Saints rounded out the top five.

The Saints are the only team in the country to appear in each of the last three Division II National Championships, as they will look to continue their dynasty with a fourth straight appearance in 2012. 

Armstrong returns five All-Conference players from last season's 31-14 squad, including consensus first-team All-American second baseman April Jowers and outfielder Shelby Duff. 

Armstrong will begin their 2012 campaign this Saturday as they host Florida Tech.  North Georgia begins play on Feb. 11, hosting the Loyal Blue Classic.

You can see the complete poll here.