WINTHROP, Mass. - The Albertus Magnus College softball team was picked third in the South Division in the 2022 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league office released on Monday morning. The poll is voted on by the league's 13 head coaches.
Albertus finished last year with a 12-6 overall record and an 11-3 mark in conference play, continuing its streak of seven straight winning seasons. The Falcons started last year with a .500 mark, going 4-4 over the first half of the season, before exploding in the campaign's second half with an 8-2 record. Albertus secured the No. 4 seed in the GNAC playoffs, taking took down the Rivier University Raiders in the first round with a convincing 6-1 victory. Then, in the conference semifinals, Albertus suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to the Saints of Emmanuel (Mass.) College.
The Falcons return a strong core of players from last season, including senior infielder Kayla Resto (Shelton, Conn.), who batted .303 last season and smacked four doubles, and senior utility player Ivy Geloso (Beacon Falls, Conn.), who batted over .300 for a second straight season with a .322 mark, to go along with three doubles, a triple, and two home runs. Senior backstop Jess Stettinger (East Haven, Conn.) returns to help anchor the Falcon's daunting lineup. Stettinger continued to terrorize the conference last season, posting a .333 batting average, her third season in a row with a .300+ average, and launching four home runs to go along with three doubles, 14 runs scored, and 12 RBIs.
The Falcons secured the third slot in the Preseason Coaches' Rankings with their talented roster, earning 73 points and one of the possible 13 1st-place votes for the south division. Johnson & Wales (RI) University took the top slot in the rankings, earning 85 points and garnering nine of the possible 13 1st-place votes in the south division. The Blue Jays of Saint Joseph (CT) also secured 74 points, taking the second slot in the south division and capturing three of the remaining 1st-place votes. Lasell University and Regis (Mass.) College took the middle ranks in the south division, securing 51 and 39 points. Rounding out the southern division poll were Dean College and Elms College with 23 and 19 points, respectively.
The Saints of Emmanuel (Mass.) College took the first-place crown in the north division, earning 74 points and nine of the possible 1st-place votes. Simmons University and Saint Joseph's College of Maine took second and third place in the north division, tallying 63 and 57 points, respectively. Rivier University slotted in at fourth place in the north division with 38 points, while Norwich University and Anna Maria were neck-and-neck with each other, garnering 24 and 19 points for the fifth and sixth spot.
2022 GNAC Softball Preseason Poll
NORTH DIVISION
1. Emmanuel (9) - 74
2. Simmons (4) - 63
3. Saint Joseph's ME - 57
4. Rivier - 38
5. Norwich - 24
6. Anna Maria - 19
SOUTH DIVISION
1. JWU (9) - 85
2. USJ CT (3) - 74
3. Albertus Magnus (1) - 73
4. Lasell - 51
5. Regis - 39
6. Dean - 23
7. Elms - 19
