KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Cal State San Marcos softball team is No. 12 in the 2015 NAIA Softball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday.

The Cougars received 321 total points in the preseason poll and moved up one slot from their final 2014 ranking.

CSUSM returns 12 players who saw game action last year, including All-Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Conference honorees Tani Leasau, Melyssa Bellamy, Ashley Dagenais and A.I.I. Pitcher of the Year and NAIA All-American Katie Wilkinson.

Head coach Laurie Nevarez enters her second season at the helm after putting together a 39-9-1 overall mark in her inaugural campaign. Nevarez guided CSUSM to a runner-up finish in the A.I.I. and the program's fifth straight appearance in the NAIA Opening Round.

Defending national champion Auburn Montgomery debuted at No. 1, followed by national runner-up No. 2 William Carey (Miss.).

CSUSM is the third-highest ranked California team, behind No. 8 Concordia and No. 10 Simpson.

The Cougars start their season at La Verne on Sunday with a doubleheader starting at noon. Their first home doubleheaders are on Feb. 7 and 8, against Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State Dominguez Hills, respectively.

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