Oregon State Picked Eighth in Pac-12 Preseason Poll

SAN FRANCISCO (Pac-12/Oregon State) – Heading into to the 2018 campaign, the Oregon State University softball program was picked eighth in the Pac-12 Preseason Coaches' Poll in a release from the conference office on Monday.

Four-time Olympian Laura Berg returns for her sixth season at the helm of the program. Under the direction of Berg, the Beavers have reached the NCAA Tournament on three occasions, including back-to-back trips to the NCAA Regionals in the past two years.

Oregon State returns 14 letterwinners from 2017, seven of whom are from the field along with three from the pitching rotation.

Spearheading the Beavers' look into 2018 will be the senior duo of McKenna Arriola (West Hills, Calif.) and Alysha Everett (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.), who stand as some of the most decorated student-athletes in the Orange and Black. Everett was an All-Pac-12 second team selection 2017 in addition to an NFCA All-Pacific Region third team member in 2017, while Arriola is a two-time member of the All-Pac-12 teams and a 2016 Pac-12 All-Defensive selection.

In the circle, junior Meehra Nelson (Simi Valley, Calif.) and sophomore Nerissa Eason (Grass Valley, Calif.) will look to anchor the rotation as the duo combined for 55 appearances in 2017. Nelson made the All-Pac-12 Third Team and All-Freshman Team in 2016 for her first year in Corvallis.

The Beavers will head out on the road this Friday, February 9, to compete in the 2018 Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz., for a five-game slate.

2018 Pac-12 Softball Coaches' Poll
1. Oregon (7) – 63 points
2. UCLA (2) – 55
3. Washington – 51
4. Arizona – 44
5. Utah – 34
6. Arizona State – 41
7. California – 19
8. Oregon State - 18
9. Stanford – 9

For more information on the Oregon State softball team, visit OSUBeavers.com or follow the team @BeaverSoftball on Twitter

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Players Mentioned

McKenna Arriola

Nerissa Eason

Alysha Everett

Meehra Nelson

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