Chico State was a nearly unanimous selection to win the 2022 CCAA softball championship as the Wildcats garnered nine of 10 first-place votes in the preseason coaches poll.
 
The Wildcats collected 99 of the possible 100 points in the poll. Sonoma State placed second in the poll with 81 points, and Cal State Dominguez finished third (72 points). San Francisco State grabbed the remaining first-place vote to rank fourth with 69 points.
 

2022 CCAA Softball Poll
1.	Chico State (9)	99
2.	Sonoma State	81
3.	Cal State Dominguez Hills	72
4.	San Francisco State (1)	69
5.	Cal State Monterey Bay	67
6.	Cal State San Bernardino	52
7.	Humboldt State	33
8.	Cal State San Marcos	28
9.	Stanislaus State	25
10.	Cal State East Bay	24
First-place votes in parenthesis

Chico State will boast a deep and talented roster that includes a pair of returning All-CCAA selections. Brooke Larsen (9-2, 0.99 ERA in 2020), the 2019 CCAA Newcomer of the Year and the league's Most Valuable Pitcher, will be back to anchor the rotation. Reilani Peleti (.415 avg/.500 ob%/.646 slg%) is expected to be back in the heart of a Wildcats' lineup, which will return seven starters. Chico State was 19-2 and ranked No. 2 in the country when the 2020 season was cut short.
 
Sonoma State was on a 12-game winning streak when the pandemic shut down the 2020 season. The Seawolves and 2019 first-team All-CCAA catcher Jordyn Martinez (.318/.384/.561) hope to recapture some of that chemistry this season and even exceed their second-place prediction in the preseason poll.
 
Cal State Dominguez Hills earned a third-place selection in the preseason poll with 72 points. The Toros bring back their entire pitching staff, which combined for a 2.83 ERA in 2020. This includes Alyssa Olague, who ranked third in the CCAA in wins (9) and first in saves (4).
 
San Francisco State edged out Cal State Monterey Bay, 69-67, for fourth in the CCAA preseason poll. The Gators have been the most prolific CCAA team on the bases in recent years, leading the conference in steals in each of the past three seasons. They will return 2019 CCAA Freshman of the Year, Brylynn Vallejos (.424/.539/.612), who paced the team and the conference with 28 steals (32 attempts) in 2020.
 
Alyssa Burt (.300/.395/.514) is the top returning student-athlete for the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters. She was a second team All-CCAA selection as a first baseman. The Otters will return three other regulars to their starting lineup and Cassie Gaspar (7-5, 2.21) to their pitching rotation. 
 
Humboldt State (33 points), Cal State San Marcos (28), Stanislaus State (25), and Cal State East Bay (24) rounded out the 2022 CCAA preseason coaches' poll. 

The Lumberjacks will get the 2022 schedule started for the CCAA when they face Holy Names on Wednesday, Feb. 2, in Oakland. Most teams will begin play on Friday, Feb. 4, at the Concordia Kickoff Classic in Irvine. CCAA Conference play begins Friday, Feb. 18.
 
All 10 teams will be vying to earn one of the six spots in the CCAA Softball Tournament in Seaside, Calif., on May 5-8. To learn more about the CCAA Softball Tournament, click here.