CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Carroll College is ranked fifth and the University of Providence is tied for ninth in the Cascade Collegiate Conference preseason softball poll, which was released Wednesday.
Carroll finished 19-24 overall, including an 11-15 conference mark, last season and received 66 points in the 2020 preseason coaches' poll. Southern Oregon, Oregon Tech, College of Idaho and Corban occupy the top five places, with SOU receiving nine first-place votes after last season's Cascade Collegiate Conference championship. The Raiders advanced to the NAIA World Series championship, defeating Oklahoma City for a first-place finish.
The Fighting Saints were the No. 5 seed in the 2019 conference tournament, where they fell to fourth-seeded Corban in the first round.
Providence was 8-27 last season, going 8-19 in conference play. The Argos received 28 points in the preseason poll, tying them with Northwest Christian for ninth in the rankings.
The NAIA softball season starts in early 2020, but the Montana teams won't start their schedules until February. Conference play begins in late February, and the conference tournament is slated to start May 1, 2020.
2020 CCC Softball Coaches’ Preseason Poll
| Team (First-place Votes) | Points | 2019 CCC | 2019 Overall |
| 1. Southern Oregon (9) | 99 | 24-3 | 52-8 |
| 2. Oregon Tech (2) | 91 | 23-4 | 44-17 |
| 3. College of Idaho | 81 | 20-7 | 40-17 |
| 4. Corban | 72 | 19-8 | 37-16 |
| 5. Carroll College | 66 | 11-15 | 19-24 |
| 6. British Columbia | 49 | 7-18 | 11-27 |
| T-7. Eastern Oregon | 38 | 7-20 | 13-32 |
| T-7. Northwest | 38 | 7-19 | 13-30 |
| T-9. Providence | 28 | 8-19 | 8-27 |
| T-9. Northwest Christian | 28 | 7-20 | 11-32 |
| 11. Warner Pacific | 15 | N/A | N/A |
