Ohio was picked to win the MAC, the conference announced Wednesday.
Ohio was picked to win the Mid-American Conference regular season title, according to the coaches' preseason poll announced Wednesday.
The Bobcats had a lackluster 2015 season that saw a final record of 15-32 with a loss to Kent State and Western Michigan in the MAC Tournament.
The 2015 season could largely be chalked up to losing starting pitcher Savannah Jo Dorsey to a herniated disc early in the season, leading to a reliance on the incoming freshman.
"I feel like we have something to prove after having such a good year (in 2014) and, not a bad year, but a rebuilding year last year," Dorsey said. "Coming out this year we are so excited to get back out there and play with all this new energy and all this new chemistry on the team."
Few are more excited than Dorsey, who had to watch from the dugout as her team went from MAC champions in 2014 to the disappointments of the MAC East in 2015. Ohio did have a respectable 7-11 record in conference play, however, after a brutal non-conference slate of games.
In 2016, the Bobcats will look to redeem themselves.
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With Dorsey back in the circle and a few new faces to step into the roles that have been vacated by past graduates, other conference opponents think Ohio can win the conference after only a one-year drought.
That faith has been reflected in the poll, as it predicted Ohio and Kent to compete for the MAC title, while it predicted Kent State or Central Michigan to win the MAC Tournament.
That didn't sit well with Dorsey.
"I won't comment on that," she said. "But I am surprised that we weren't picked first because I think we deserve it.
"I think we are going to have people that really wanna take our name. But I think that we are ready to go. We can handle any pressure, any circumstance. I think this team is so together right now, we can take anyone."
The Bobcats open their season with a game against Longwood in the South Carolina Tournament on Feb. 19 at 12 p.m.
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