The Mizzou softball team will have some high expectations when they begin their season in San Diego on Feb. 18. The Tigers are the preseason No. 7 team in the country, according to the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll. They are the highest-ranked Big 12 team, with conference foes Oklahoma (No. 9), Texas (No. 15), Texas A&M (No. 21) and Oklahoma State (No. 23) also cracking the preseason top 25.

Another poll, the ESPN.com/USA Softball top 25, placed the Tigers at No. 9 in its preseason rankings. That poll has the Oklahoma Sooners three spots ahead of Mizzou, making the Tigers the second-highest ranked Big 12 team.

Also, ESPN.com writer Graham Hays ranked the Tigers at No. 10, as he reveals a new team from his personal top 25 everyday. Here’s what Hays had to say about the Tigers.

Ehren Earleywine’s team kicks off its 2011 season in San Diego at the San Diego Classic on Feb. 18. Their first tilt will be with the Fresno State Bulldogs.