After finishing third in the Big West race last spring, the University of Hawaii softball team was voted to the same spot in the conference’s preseason poll released on Wednesday.

The Rainbow Wahine picked up 46 points and one first-place vote in the poll, which was topped by Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton. LBSU picked up six first-place votes and 62 points and was followed by CSUF, which had one first-place vote and 52 points.

Defending Big West champion CSUN followed UH in fourth place with UC Riverside, Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis rounding out the poll.

The Wahine went 32-22 overall and 13-8 in Big West play last season. They return both starting pitchers in junior Kanani Aina-Cabrales and sophomore Brittany Hitchcock, a second-team All-Big West pick last year. Junior first baseman Heather Morales led the Wahine at the plate at .331 and was second on the team with 32 RBIs. Senior Keiki Carlos returns in right field after a .293 season with eight home runs and 30 RBIs.

UH opens the season on Feb. 11 against St. Mary’s in the Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic.