Softball Picked to Finish Fourth in the South Division in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll

Photo by: Ron Waite/Photosportacular

Posted: Feb 19, 2020

Winthrop, Mass. - The Albertus Magnus College softball team has been picked to finish in fourth in the South Division in the 2020 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Preseason Poll, which was released on Tuesday afternoon. The poll is voted on by the league's 12 head coaches.

Albertus finished last season with a overall record of 19-17 and a league mark of 8-7. Albertus secured key wins against conference opponents Lasell University and Suffolk University, and recorded doubleheader sweeps against Johnson & Wales, Regis (Mass.), and Anna Maria College.

The Falcons return a core of their top players from last year, including sophomore Jess Stettinger (East Haven, Conn.), who led the conference in both doubles (16) and runs batted in (34), and finished in the top five in a host of other categories including homeruns (5), total hits (50), and slugging percentage (.707), en route to a Second Team All-Conference selection.

The Falcons also return top pitcher, Laura Anderson (East Haven, Conn.), who is coming off one of her best seasons to date, finishing the 2019 campaign ranked fourth in the conference in both earned run average (2.85) and wins (11). Second-year pitcher Erin Dighello (Wallingford, Conn.) had a break-out second-half for the Falcons and seems poised to deliver a wicked 1-2 punch with Anderson to opposing line-ups this spring. Over her final six outings of the 2019 season, Dighello pitched 28 innings, striking out 21, while allowing just six walks to the tune of a 1.75 earned run average.

Sophomore infielder Kayla Resto (Shelton, Conn.) also served as another threat for the Falcons as she earned Second Team All-Conference honors last season behind four doubles, two triples, and one homerun, which was good for an overall batting average of .343.

With their talented core of players, the Falcons earned 40 points in this year's preseason rankings, finishing in fourth place in the south division, ahead of Regis (Mass.) (22 points) and Lasell (15 points). Johnson & Wales took the top spot in the south rankings with 61 points and four first-place votes, while Simmons took the second slot in the south, with 59 points and three first-place votes. St. Joseph CT secured the third-place rank in the south with 55 points total, and the final five first-place votes.

In the north division, Emmanuel came out on the top of the rankings, earning 62 points and five of the possible 12 first-place votes. Suffolk finished second in the north, garnering 60 points total and snagging five of the first-place votes, while Saint Joe's Maine roared into third-place, only three points behind Suffolk, with a score of 57 and the final two first-place votes. Rivier, Norwich, and Anna Maria rounded out the sextet, earning 30 points, 29 points, and 14 points, respectively.

2020 GNAC Softball Preseason Poll
NORTH:
1. Emmanuel (5) - 62
2. Suffolk (5) - 60
3. Saint Joe's Maine (2) - 57
4. Rivier - 30
5. Norwich - 29
6. Anna Maria - 14

SOUTH:
1. JWU (4) - 61
2. Simmons (3) - 59
3. St. Joseph CT (5) - 55
4. Albertus - 40
5. Regis - 22
6. Lasell - 15

To learn more about Albertus Magnus College Falcons Athletics, visit AlbertusFalcons.com and follow the Falcons on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.