Canton, NY – The SUNY Canton softball team is set to open its second conference season in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) under second year Head Coach Lindsey Coleman. The Roos will open NAC play on Saturday,  April 10th with a doubleheader at SUNY Delhi at 1 p.m.

With NAC play getting started this weekend the conference released its Preseason Coaches Poll on Thursday, and the Roos have been voted to finish in a tie for third place by the West Division's five head coaches.

Eleven NAC members sponsor the sport, which is divided into East and West divisions. Six teams in the East and five teams in the West will play regular season games within their own division. Divisional foes are scheduled to play two regular season doubleheaders.

The top-two teams in regular season standings in each division will play a three-game series in a conference semifinal. Divisional round winners advance to the East versus West conference championship, where they will again play a best-of-three series, this time for the NAC title and automatic qualification bid (AQ) to the NCAA national championship tournament. The advancing team from the West Division will host the conference championship series.
 
SUNY Canton is the lone returning team in the NAC West Division as the other four teams are new to the NAC for the 2021 season. SUNY Cobleskill enters as the early favorite, with 23 points and three, first-place votes. Cazenovia College nearly split the top vote, collecting two, first-place votes and a total of 20 points for a close second-place finish. SUNY Canton and SUNY Poly are tied with 12 points each in the third spot, while SUNY Delhi wraps up the poll in fifth place with eight points.
 
Head coaches voted in preseason polls for their own division.
   
The divisional round is tentatively scheduled for May 8-9, and the NAC championship series follows one week later, tentatively May 14-15. Tournament dates are flexible to allow student athletes on advancing teams to attend final exams and commencement ceremonies. Exact dates for the divisional series will be announced after selections.
 
All plans remain contingent on federal, state, and local health guidance, as well as state college system and institutional realities. The health, safety, and welfare of student athletes, coaches, and entire college communities remain a priority as the NAC returns to competitive sports. Check with each school for policies regarding spectators.
   

About SUNY Canton
SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in digital design, engineering technology, health, management and public service. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. As SUNY's leader in online education, SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 21 online degree programs. The college placed first in 14 categories in a SUNY-Wide Student Opinion Survey, most notably in career services, tutoring, library resources, and classroom facilities. The college's 15 traditional athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division III level as part of the North Atlantic Conference. SUNY Canton also features varsity eSports and cheerleading. For more information, visit www.canton.edu.