Softball Tabbed Third in NECC Preseason Poll
ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Mitchell College was selected third in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) softball preseason poll, as announced by Comissioner Del Malloy on Tuesday. Voting for the preseason poll was conducted among the NECC's head softball coaches.
Elms College and Lesley University have been tabbed as the preseason favorites to capture the NECC softball championship. Both the Elms Blazers (20-17, 14-2 NECC) and the Lesley Lynx (26-13, 15-1 NECC), the defending 2009 & 2010 NECC Softball Champions, each received four of the nine first-place votes in the 2011 NECC preseason poll.
The Blazers are led by two-time NECC Coach of the Year Cheryl Condon, who enters her 25th season of at the helm with a 329-313 overall coaching record. Elms will return 13 players and seven starters including four all-conference players in junior Jenna Lipscomb (Cambridge, Mass.), sophomore Sarah Buckley (Wilbraham, Mass.), junior Courtney Hampton (Westfield, Mass.) and junior Marlene DiRaimo (Cranston, R.I.). Buckley was also named the 2010 NECC Rookie of the Year.
The Lynx are led by head coach Jen Benway who is in her 12th year with a record of 152-196. Lesley will return ten players and eight starters including four all-conference players in junior hurler Cassandra Knox (Sea Cliff, N.Y.), senior Alyson Durben (Stow, Mass.), senior Ashley Cunningham (Mountain Top, Penn.) and sophomore Emily Mangiaratti (Amherst, Mass.). Knox was named the 2010 NECC Pitcher of the Year, while Mangiaratti was named 2010 NFCA All-Region.
Mitchell was third with 45 points. Daniel Webster College was fourth points with 35 points. Path College rounded out the top five receiving 29 points.
Teams received nine points for every first place vote received, eight points for second place votes, seven points for third place votes, down to one point for a last place vote. First place votes are shown in parentheses.
Softball is the only spring sport that all nine NECC members sponsor.
2011 NECC PRESEASON SOFTBALL POLL
TEAM, POINTS (1st Place votes)
Lesley, 60 (4)
Elms, 60 (4)
Mitchell, 45
Daniel Webster, 35
Bay Path, 29
Becker, 24
Newbury, 23
Wheelock, 9
Southern Vermont, 3
