Kingsville - With the season fast approaching, the Texas A&M-Kingsville Softball team landed tenth in the Lone Star Conference's preseason poll, with a pair of sophomores named, one each, to the conference's Players and Pitchers to Watch Lists.

The poll slots TAMUK to finish just shy of a conference tournament berth, giving them 416 points, 29 fewer than St. Mary's, who is picked to finish ninth, and 65 points more than Texas A&M International in eleventh. Kingsville finished tenth in conference last year, going 24-31 overall with a 19-25 record in conference play. The Javelinas narrowly missed the conference tournament, finishing three games out of the eighth seed behind St. Mary's and St. Edwards.

Leading a large group of familiar faces making a return for the Javelinas, sophomore left-handed pitcher from San Antonio, Texas, Esther Martinez was named an LSC Preseason Pitcher to Watch. Offensively, though she is a familiar face in the conference, sophomore third baseman Alaunah Almaraz is new in the Blue and Gold after transferring in from UT-Tyler. Almaraz was named LSC Preseason Player to Watch.

Each of the top three teams are ranked nationally in the top-25 by the NFCA preseason coaches poll, led by UT-Tyler earning 849 points and gaining 39 of the 51 first place votes, and followed by West Texas A&M with 817 points and eight first-place votes. Angelo St. in the final conference team ranked in the top-25, earning 753 points and two first place votes.

Oklahoma Christian polled fourth with 715 points and one first place vote, while Lubbock Christian slotted fifth with 665 points and a first place vote. Rounding out the potential teams projected to make the LSC Tournament is Cameron (551), Eastern New Mexico (537), and St. Edwards (489).

Then finishing right outside of the picture is St. Mary's, TAMUK, and TAMIU. Following up is Texas Women's in twelfth and Midwestern State (285), Western New Mexico (219), LSC newcomer UT-Dallas (188), Sul Ross State (101), and UT Permian Basin (100).

Kingsville will open its season up next weekend in Dallas, TX, when they face off Colorado School of Mines and Southern Arkansas University on Friday, January 30th at the Lone Star Tournament. Those are the first and second of six games across three days that the Javelinas will be playing in Dallas. The team's home opener will come on February 15th when they take  on Texas A&M International.