Hempstead, N.Y. - Hofstra and Georgia State were named the preseason co-favorites in the 2012 Colonial Athletic Association poll in a ballot by the league's eight head coaches.

The Pride, which won the regular season championship, received four first-place  votes and 46 total points. That matched the same total as Georgia State, which won the CAA Tournament in 2011 after defeating runner-up Hofstra.

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team in the poll. Towson finished third in the poll with 36 points, while James Madison registered 30 points. Delaware was voted fifth followed by Drexel, George Mason and UNCW.

Hofstra returns most of their key players from a team that went 40-13, including 19-1 against the Colonial Athletic Association. The Pride brings back its top-two hurlers in CAA Pitcher of the Year Olivia Galati and senior Erin Wade. Head coach Bill Edwards will also have the luxury of starting an upperclassman at every position. The lineup will be fortified by the return of senior infielder Jess Hirschbuhl (.311 average), junior outfielder Tessa Ziemba (.335) and junior designated player D.J. Slugh (.338), who all earned All-CAA first-team honors.

Hofstra is coming off its fifth 40-win season in the last seven years. Galati, a junior who has two-time CAA Pitcher of the Year award recipient, went 29-8 with league bests of a 1.24 ERA and 348 strikeouts last season.

The 2012 CAA softball championship will be held on May 9-11 at the site of the regular-season champion.