OKLAHOMA CITY – Coming off a 2020 season that was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mid-America Christian softball team will be seeking its third straight winning season and its seventh in the last eight years as the Evangels were selected to finish third in the Sooner Athletic Conference Preseason Poll released by the league office on Monday.

Voted upon by the conference's nine head coaches, the Evangels received 48 points while garnering two second-place votes, four third-place votes and two fourth-place votes for its third straight third-place selection in the poll.

Science & Arts (Okla.) was tabbed as the SAC preseason favorite, garnering 62 points and receiving six first-place votes while Oklahoma City finished right behind in the voting with 59 points and three first-place votes.

The Evangels finished 14 points ahead of Texas Wesleyan (34 votes), coming in fourth in the preseason voting while Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas) and Oklahoma Panhandle State nipped at the Rams' heels with 32 and 31 votes respectively.

Central Christian ranked seventh after receiving 28 votes while Langston collected 20 in the poll and Southwestern Christian rounded out the list with 10 votes.

With the 2020 SAC campaign getting canceled mid-season on Mar. 12, the Evangels finished the year with a 10-8 record. MACU had a strong start, opening with year with a six-game win streak with doubleheader sweeps over Crowley's Ridge (Ark.), Sterling (Kan.) and Southwestern (Kan.).

Sophomore first baseman Olivia Roberts will highlight the returning class after being selected as the SAC Freshman of the Year and tabbed to the All-SAC First Team. The 5-10 Mustang, Oklahoma product finish fifth in the league with a .429 batting average while leading the team in on-base percentage (.476). Roberts also ranked second on the team in RBIs (14), doubles (4) and slugging percentage (.554) as well as hit one of MACU's three home runs on the season.

The Evangels will also expect to get big production from All-SAC Second Team honoree Faith Hollingsworth. The outfielder and MACU's primary designated player a year ago finished second on the team with a .390 batting average while leading the squad with a .585 slugging percentage off of three doubles, a triple and a home run to go with the team's third-most RBIs (13) and scored seven runs.

Mid-America Christian will feature one of the best pitching staffs in the SAC with the return of junior NCCAA All-American hurler Regan Martin. Despite missing a portion of the 2020 season due to injury, the Sheridan, Arkansas native returned to still finish the season with a 2.15 earned run average while walking just four and striking out 19 in just 29.1 innings of work.

Martin was sensational in her first two full seasons with the program, going 16-8 with a 2.07 ERA, walking 40 and striking out 111 during the 2019 campaign to garner All-NCCAA First Team All-American honors. She was an All-NCCAA Second Team honoree in 2018 after going 14-9 with a 2.63 ERA, walking 60 and striking out 115.

The Evangels also added some strong pitching depth with the addition of senior Katie Long. Serving as the ace of NCAA Division II Oklahoma Baptist last season, the Norman, Oklahoma native ended the shortened 2020 season with a 6-3 record and a team-best 3.29 ERA to go with 67 strikeouts.

Mid-America Christian will open the 2021 campaign with a 12-game home stretch, starting with a doubleheader against Crowley's Ridge. The doubleheader is slated for a 1 p.m. start on Thursday, Feb. 11 at Jack Allen Field inside the James Curtis Sports Complex.

2021 SAC Preseason Poll