CU picked seventh in TSC softball

Cumberland has been picked to finish eighth in the nine-team TranSouth Conference softball race this season, according to a vote of the league coaches.
The Lady Bulldogs collected 25 points to finish ahead of first-year program Crichton's 19.
Trevecca Nazarene, coming off an appearance in the NAIA National Championships, notched all but one of the nine first-place votes and 80 points total to finish ahead of No. 2 Martin Methodist, which also reached the Region XI tournament last May.
Bethel, one of three new schools in the league along with Lambuth and Mid-Continent, reached the nationals last year out of its former conference.
Following Trevecca and Martin Methodist, Union is predicted to finish third, Freed-Hardeman fourth, Bethel fifth, Mid-Continent sixth and Lambuth seventh.
Cumberland is scheduled to open its conference season March 3 at Bethel, according to the league's website, www.transouth.org.