Legacy, Erie, Sterling on top of preseason softball rankings
Two teams that finished runner-up a season ago head CHSAANow.com’s preseason softball rankings.
Erie (4A) and Sterling (3A) both fell in the championship games of their respective classifications last season. A year later, they’re both the preseason favorites.
In 5A, defending champion Legacy is the unanimous preseason No. 1. Legend, runner-up last year, is No. 2, and is followed by No. 3 Brighton, No. 4 Fossil Ridge and No. 5 Eaglecrest.
Dakota Ridge is sixth, Douglas County is seventh and Loveland is eighth. Rock Canyon (No. 9) and Fort Collins (No. 10) round out the 5A ranking.
Wheat Ridge, the defending 4A champion which is expected to rely on a heavy lineup this season, opens at No. 2 in that class.
Defending 3A champion Strasburg opens at No. 3.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, polls will be released each Monday.
Complete rankings for each class are below.
CHSAANow.com Softball Polls
Voted upon by coaches and select media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
| Class 5A | ||
|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | PTS |
| 1 | Legacy (9) | 90 |
| 2 | Legend | 74 |
| 3 | Brighton | 68 |
| 4 | Fossil Ridge | 57 |
| 5 | Eaglecrest | 51 |
| 6 | Dakota Ridge | 39 |
| 7 | Douglas County | 27 |
| 8 | Loveland | 22 |
| 9 | Rock Canyon | 17 |
| 10 | Fort Collins | 10 |
| Others receiving votes: | ||
| Chatfield 7, Ralston Valley 6, ThunderRidge 6, Pine Creek 5, Castle View 4, Grandview 4, Arvada West 3, Columbine 2, Rampart 2, Cherokee Trail 1. | ||
| Class 4A | ||
|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | PTS |
| 1 | Erie (5) | 86 |
| 2 | Wheat Ridge (4) | 79 |
| 3 | Ponderosa | 60 |
| 4 | Mullen | 38 |
| 5 | Frederick | 36 |
| 6 | Valor Christian | 32 |
| 7 | Discovery Canyon | 29 |
| 8 | Mountain View | 28 |
| 9 | D’Evelyn | 27 |
| 10 | Pueblo West | 12 |
| Others receiving votes: | ||
| Pueblo South 11, Durango 10, Pueblo East 10, Berthoud 9, Palmer Ridge 8, Silver Creek 7, Holy Family 6, Standley Lake 4, Niwot 3, Windsor 1. | ||
| Class 3A | ||
|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | PTS |
| 1 | Sterling (4) | 58 |
| 2 | Valley (1) | 51 |
| 3 | Strasburg (1) | 49 |
| 4 | Eaton | 33 |
| 5 | Dolores Huerta | 29 |
| 6 | La Junta | 25 |
| 7 | Basalt | 19 |
| 8 | Burlington | 15 |
| 9 | Faith Christian | 13 |
| 10 | Lamar | 10 |
| Others receiving votes: | ||
| Rocky Ford 7, Florence 6, Brush 5, Cedaredge 5, Platte Valley 3, Gunnison 2. | ||
