Players to watch (recruiting)

Olivia May P Conklin Raiders 2013: May is a tall lanky pitcher for the Conklin Raiders, which is a squad that has been very nice to the Atlantic 10 in the past, including the great Brandice Balschmiter. May is solid in the circle and at the plate. She is a talented player who could be a nice addition to any A10 squad.

Kristina Dillard C/OF NJ Breakers 2013: Dillard is a catcher and outfielder from the NJ Breakers. Dillard was a solid performer at Premier Nationals this past season going .500 in two games action for the Breakers. Atlantic 10 schools need players that can perform at the brightest stages and Dillard fits that bill.

Alyssa Dewes C/OF NJ Intensity 2013: Is a catcher and outfielder for the NJ Intensity, which has been a Division 1 softball factory over the past few years. Dewes is not only an outstanding catcher, but she is also a dangerous threat at the plate too. Dewes can hit for power and she is also lightning quick. UPDATE Verballed to Syracuse

Brittany McNulla C RI Thunder 2014: McNulla is latest stud at catcher for the RI Thunder, which has produced some very good players at the position of catcher, including Olivia Godin who is headed to UMass, Nicole Lundstrom who has verballed to Syracuse, and Jayme Mask who is currently at Boston University. McNulla has a cannon behind the plate and she swings an extremely powerful bat. McNulla was named All State in New Hampshire after her freshman season and she is a serious contender for NH Gatorade State Player of the Year in 2012.

Gianna Hathaway SS RI Thunder 2014: Hathway is a great athlete with the ability to play just about anywhere on the field, though she is probably most suited for shortstop. She swings a strong righthanded bat and will likely find herself in the heart of the order of whichever college she decides on. Hathaway has power and speed and the Atlantic 10 would do well to nab her.

Gianna Hathaway

Hannah Anderson 3B/2B RI Thunder 2014: Anderson is a speedy infielder for the RI Thunder and she will be an incredible asset to whoever picks her up. Anderson will find herself at the top of some college's order and it is our hope that it will be an Atlantic 10 one.

Sarah Harriman LHP Worcester Hawks 2014: Harriman is a talented lefty from Maine who can really bring it in the circle. She pitches for former Olympic coach Ralph Raymond and his Worcester Hawks squad. Harriman went 1-1 at ASA Gold Nationals this past summer with a 2.05 ERA in 13.2 innings. The Atlantic 10 could always use another southpaw and Harriman could be a good one to bring on board.

Sarah Harriman

Kayla Finacchiaro RHP Polar Crush 2015: Is a young athletic pitcher for the Polar Crush Gold and she has a very bright future ahead of her. Finacchiarro is already hitting speeds in the mid-60s despite being just a freshman in high school. Finacchiarro has tremendous potential and she is definitely a D1 caliber player.

Taylor Weaver P/1B NJ Intensity 2014: Weaver is a versatile pitcher for the NJ Intensity and she a tall powerful athlete that will be an impact performer on whichever college team she ends up on. Weaver would definitely be a nice pickup for an A10 school.

Megan Colline RHP NJ Inferno 2014: Colline is a talented pitcher and first baseman from the NJ Inferno. Colline can really bring it from the circle with solid speed and movement. She is no slouch at the plate either, as she can put a serious charge into balls at the plate.

Julia DiMartino

Julia DiMartino RHP New Era Diamond Girls 2015: Is a talented young pitcher out of Western New York who can really bring it. DiMartino pitches for the New Era Diamond Girls and is already attracting some serious attention from college. DiMartino has been clocked in the 60s and her ball has some good movement as well.

If you know of any more players we should keep an eye out for, please email atlantic10softball@gmail.com

2012 Atlantic 10 Preview

Here is the main event: our picks for the 2012 season

1. Fordham
2. UMass
3. St. Joseph's
4. Temple
5. St. Louis
6. Dayton
7. Charlotte
8. George Washington
9. St. Bonaventure
10. Rhode Island
11. La Salle

We predict that the top 3 will be a very close battle and 5-9 will also be determined by a razor thin margin, most likely coming down to the final weekend of play. Those 5-9 teams are so incredibly close in terms of talent that it will really come down to who performs.

If you feel you're team's too low, you can comment on it or tweet @A10Softballblog, but make sure it is backed up by the play on the field. Show up to every game and bring it.

Atlantic 10 1st Team
P Sara Plourde UMass
P Jen Mineau Fordham
C Steph Paquale Temple
1B Jamie LaBovick Fordham
2B Kyllie Magill UMass
3B Monica Aguilar St. Joseph's
SS Sarah Prezioso Temple
OF Dana Parks St. Joseph's
OF Kathleen Maloof Dayton
OF Lindsey Webster UMass
DP Lauren Nacke Dayton

Atlantic 10 2nd Team

P Erin Gallagher St. Joseph's
P Capri Catalano Temple
C Gabby Luety Fordham
C Brooke Frey St. Bonaventure
2B Bernadette Moran St. Joseph's
SS Ashley Snider St. Bonaventure
SS Chelsea Palumbo Fordham
OF Chelsea Lenhart George Washington
OF Cyndil Matthew UMass
OF Katie Bettencourt UMass
OF Briana Gwaltney Charlotte


Atlantic 10 All-Rookie

P Taylor Pirone Fordham
P Kayla English Dayton
C Samantha Dos Santos George Washington
C Lauren Rendon St. Joseph's
2B Brianna Turgeon Fordham
3B Anna Kelley UMass
SS Nicole Palase St. Joseph's
SS Quianna Diaz-Patterson UMass
SS Tori Valos George Washington
OF Julia Kastner Temple
OF Alex Rogers Charlotte
UT Chelsea Lisikatos Charlotte
DP Paige Ortiz Fordham

Honorable Mention
P Kelcie Matesa St. Louis
P Kara Clauss George Washington
2B Rachel Knable Temple
3B Elise Fortier Fordham
OF Jessica Buschjost St. Louis
OF Autumn Taylor George Washington
DP Nicole Callahan Fordham
DP Nicole Massoni Rhode Island

Player of the Year: Monica Aguilar 3B St. Joseph's
Pitcher of the Year: Jen Mineau P Fordham
Rookie of the Year: Quianna Diaz-Patterson SS UMass

So, love them or hate them those are our picks and we stand by them.

Atlantic 10 Softball on Twitter

Atlantic 10 softball has fully embraced social media, as you can now follow most of the programs and coaches on Twitter.

Of course we are also on Twitter as well A10softballblog we will live tweet games that we attend this year, in addition to tweeting other things.

CoachDeVos 49erSoftball Charlotte49ers: Charlotte does Twitter right. 49erSoftball and Charlotte49ers are the official team and athletics Twitter account and they do a nice job of keeping everyone up to date on Charlotte softball. The best account to follow of these three is definitely CoachDeVos, she frequently tweets and usually posts interesting things.

DaytonFlyers: the official Twitter of the school's website and hopefully home to live tweets during games!

bridgetorchard FordhamSoftball FordhamRams: Fordham frequently live tweets on its official accounts during games (FordhamSoftball and FordhamRams) though the best account to follow is PaulTracker. PaulTracker is a parent that live tweets almost every game for the Rams. His tweets are informative and witty, definitely worth a follow in our eyes. Coach Bridget Orchard is new to Twitter (bridgetorchard), but she has gotten off to a great start with her tweeting and we would encourage a follow.

GW_Sports: is a pretty standard athletic department Twitter account. They would do well to follow the live-tweeting softball lead of some of the other school.

GoExporers_com: they do a solid job over covering LaSalle's basketball teams and hopefully that will translate to softball as well. They are definitely all over the #hashtags.

UMassAthletics: does a great job with in game tweeting, as they post updates after every inning that a run has been scored, as well as posting in game pictures and video interviews and highlights after games. The only critique we have of this account is that they could post a few more updates during games.

GoRhodyRams: this account infrequently posts and rarely if ever does in game updates, certainly never for softball. This is the one account that is not worth a follow in a league that does social media well.

BonasSoftball Go_Bonnies: BonasSoftball is the official Twitter of Coach Mike Threehouse and he does a nice job of tweeting. His tweets are funny, informative, and just plain worth a read. Go_Bonnies is the official Twitter of the athletic department is more or less the standard athletic department Twitter, although they are very good at retweeting.

SJUHawks_SB SJUHawks: SJUHawks_SB is fairly new to Twitter, but they have done a nice job so far at tweeting and posting updates about preparations for the 2012 season. SJUHawks is the official athletic department Twitter account and they do a nice job of covering softball games at home.

SLUSoftball SLU_Billikens: SLUSoftball is new to Twitter, but they have done a very nice job so far and they have posted interesting tweets, especially with regard to the 2012 season that is right on the horizon. SLU_Billikens is your typical athletic department Twitter account, although they do not live-tweet softball games.

Owlsports_com: is a fairly standard athletic department account. They could a do a better job of live-tweeting softball in our opinion.

Mid-Major Top 25 Softball Poll features three Atlantic 10 Schools

The first ever Mid-Major Softball Poll was released this past week and it featured three Atlantic 10 schools within the top 25, including two within the top 10.

Louisiana-Lafayette came in atop the poll with 73 points, followed by Tulsa and Fresno State tied at 2nd with 69 points. Fordham came in at 4th place with 62 points on the poll and UMass came in at 6th with 55 points. St. Joseph's was the other Atlantic 10 school to make the poll, as they were slotted 20th.

This is a solid start for the A10 in this poll, but we should be seeing even more teams in this poll as the year goes on.

2012 Preview: Fordham

2011 Record (A10 play):
Returning Position Players: Gabby Luety C, Brianna Ciuffi UT, Christina Siesta C/IF, Chelsea Palumbo SS, Jamie LaBovick P/1B, Jess Crowley CF, Lindsey Kay Bright OF, Jo Krasnisky UT, Kat VanBenschoten OF, Nicole Callahan IF
Returning Pitchers: Jen Mineau
Losses: Jocelyn Dearborn 3B, Beckah Wiggins 2B, Samantha Pellechio SS, Megan Shager C, Chelsea Plimpton P, Becca Griswold 3B
Newcomers: Taylor Pirone P, Michele Daubman P/IF, Elise Fortier 3B, Brianna Turgeon 2B, Erica Willis OF, Cora Ianiro OF, Sammi Smith OF, Kayla Lombardo IF/C, Serena Moroukian OF, Paige Ortiz IF

Jen Mineau (Courtesy of Tom Wasiczko)

Pitching: Fordham's pitching will one of its biggest strengths in 2012, due in large part to the return of Jen Mineau. Mineau has been incredibly dominant over the past two seasons and she has helped lead the Rams to new heights. Mineau features pin point control in addition to devastating movement. In 2011, Mineau was 24-9 with a 1.22 ERA and 300 SO in 224.2 IP. The most amazing part about those numbers is that they came while she was dealing with a nagging injury. This season she is healthy and ready to go so the rest of the conference better watch out. Joining Mineau in the circle this season are freshmen Taylor Pirone and Michele Daubman. Pirone had a excellent fall for the Rams and she should be an impact performer right away. Pirone is a tall and athletic pitcher who comes to Fordham with plenty of experience after pitching for the NJ Inferno in travel ball. Daubman also figures to see quite a bit of action in the circle for Fordham. Coach Bridget Orchard is going to look to her freshmen for valuable innings so Mineau can be fresh at the end of the year.

Gabby Luety (Courtesy of Tom Wasiczko)

Catching: Gabby Luety returns after an outstanding freshman season and she should once again be a force behind the plate. Luety hit .281 with 45 hits, 8 HR, and 29 RBI for the Rams in her freshman season. With a season of Division 1 Softball under her belt, those offensive numbers should be even better in 2012. Kayla Lombardo, Christina Siesta, and Nicole Callahan could also see action behind the plate for Fordham this year.

Elise Fortier (Courtesy of Tom Wasiczko)

Infielders: The Rams return just one infielder from last year, as 2011 Atlantic Player of the Year Jocelyn Dearborn, 2010 Atlantic 10 co-Player of the Year Beckah Wiggins, and All-Conference performer Samantha Pellechio have all graduated. 2010 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Jamie LaBovick is back and Fordham will look to her to be the captain of the infield. LaBovick's numbers fell off a little bit in 2011, but they were still pretty solid, as she went .257 with 46 hits, 1 HR, and 16 RBI. In 2012, expect those numbers to skyrocket up, especially the power numbers. Chelsea Palumbo will join the infield this season, as she will transition to shortstop, after being in the outfield last season. Palumbo had a solid year in 2011, hitting .268 with 34 hits, 5 HR, and 30 RBI. She will be counted on to have an even bigger role this season at shortstop. Stony Brook transfer Elise Fortier will likely hold down third base for the Rams and she should be an impact performer on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Fortier had an excellent fall for the Rams and she will look to have the same sort of performance this spring. Freshman Brianna Turgeon and returnee Nicole Callahan will battle it for second base. Turgeon is a talented freshman from Connecticut with excellent skills on both sides of the ball. Callahan had an excellent season in 2011 starting at designated player, hitting .358 with 58 hits, 2 HR, and 20 RBI. The designated player position should be a battle all season long, as a number of players could hold down that spot, including Callahan, Pirone, and powerful freshman slugger Paige Ortiz. Ortiz swings an incredibly powerful bat that may be too strong to keep out of the lineup.

Nicole Callahan (Courtesy of Tom Wasiczko)

Outfielders: In the outfield Fordham returns two starters from last season in Lindsey Kay Bright and Jess Crowley. Bright hit .268 last year with 42 hits, 0 HR, 12 RBI, and 13 SB. Coach Orchard is going to count on her to be a table setter for the Rams and get things going with her speed. Crowley was Fordham's anchor in the outfield last year tracking down everything ball hit her way. She hit .192 with 15 hits, 2 HR, and 6 RBI last season. Crowley will look to put up even bigger numbers this season, now that she has a season of starting under her belt in Division 1. The other outfield spot could be filled by any of a number of players, such as Callahan, Kat VanBenschoten, Sammi Smith, or Serena Moroukian. That final spot will likely come down to offensive production, as whomever hits the best will find themselves in the lineup.

Schedule: This young and talented squad will be tested throughout 2012, as Coach Orchard has continued her aggressive scheduling. Fordham will have a number of challenging games including games with WCWS participants California and Alabama (which will be played at home!), Super Regional participants Arizona, as well as East Carolina, UCLA, Long Beach State, and Louisville who all advanced to Regionals last season. This non-conference schedule will prepare Fordham for A10 play and it will likely get them into the NCAA tournament for the third straight season. As far as Atlantic 10 play, Fordham will have the benefit of hosting UMass and Charlotte at home, as part of its 10 home games. The Rams will have to hit the road however to face St. Joseph's, Temple, and Dayton.

Jess Crowley (Courtesy of Tom Wasiczko)

Postseason prognosis: Fordham is going to likely be back at NCAA Regionals this year and finish in the top three in the conference. With Jen Mineau in the circle, Fordham is going to make a lot of noise in the Atlantic 10 and nationally. Fordham is the defending champion in the Atlantic 10 and they will be the team to beat. The Rams are going to have stiff competition from UMass and St. Joseph's and the regular season title could come down to the last weekend of the season, when UMass heads to the Bronx. Fordham is going to be good in 2012, but depending on how well its young players play, it could be really good and play deep into the NCAA tournament.

Kaylyn Zierke verbals to Temple

Kaylyn Zierke

Temple picked up its first 2013 verbal, as Kaylyn Zierke C 2013 of the New Lenox Lightning has committed to play for Coach Joe DiPietro.

Zierke is a talented catcher from Bartlett High School in Illinois. Zierke had a solid 2011 season, hitting .324 with 2 HR and 27 RBI. Zierke will be a major part of the Owls lineup as soon as she arrives on campus, both behind the plate and in the batting order.

Zierke joins teammate Elizabeth Everingham (St. Louis), as New Lenox Lightning members who have verballed to an Atlantic 10 school.

If you have any recruiting news, as always please email atlantic10softball@gmail.com (all exchanges are kept confidential)

Maddi Doane verbals to St. Louis

Maddi Doane

St. Louis has received its first 2014 verbal from Maddie Doane OF 2014 of the Beverly Bandits.

This is a huge pickup for the Billikens, as the Beverly Bandits are the top travel organization in the midwest. The Bandits won the Boulder Independence Day Tournament last year and had the highest finish of a non-California team at Premier Nationals.

Doane is a lefthanded hitting and throwing outfielder who looks poised to hold down a spot at the top of St. Louis' order. Doane will be an impact player for the Billikens both in the outfield and at the plate.

Doane is a native of Naperville, IL which just sent Mikayla Panko to UMass this past season. Doane is the third 2014 verbal in the Atlantic 10, joining Rochelle Draper and Aiyana Leal-Robles who have verballed to George Washington.

Katie Ryan verbals to Dayton

Katie Ryan

Dayton picked up its second 2013 verbal from Katie Ryan OF 2013 of the Wasco Diamonds.

Ryan is a powerful hitter and she tied the Illinois state high school record by hitting 18 HR in 2011. Ryan hit leadoff for her Batavia High School squad en route to hitting .455 with 50 hits, 18 HR, and 42 RBI. Ryan is also extremely versatile as she can also pitch or play shortstop, though she will most likely end up in the outfield for the Flyers.

The Wasco Diamonds have produced some pretty good players over the years with Michelle Batts at Northwestern and Lyndsey Cieski at DePaul being two notable names.

Ryan joins Riley Cunningham in Dayton's 2013 recruiting class.

As always if you have any recruiting news please email atlantic10softball@gmail.com

Riley Cunningham verbals to Dayton

Riley Cunningham

Dayton picked up its first 2013 verbal, as Riley Cunningham OF 2013 of the Austin Storm committed to play for Coach Cara LaPlaca.

Cunningham is an extremely versatile player who can play in the outfield or at one of the middle infield positions. Cunningham is a speedy lefthanded hitter who can either slap or hit away and she will most likely be slotted at or near the top of Dayton's batting order.

Coach LaPlaca has done well in Texas, as the Flyers have four players on their current roster from the lonestar state: Kayla English, Jenna Lopes, Jordan Jennings, and Rachel Archer.

Aiyana Leal-Robles verbals to George Washington

George Washington recruiting spree continued this week, as they picked up a verbal from Aiyana Leal-Robles C/3B 2014 of Cal Lite 16U.

Leal-Robles is a versatile player who can suit up at catcher or third base. She has a solid arm and some great pop in her bat. She is the latest pickup for the Colonials who have done an outstanding job on the recruiting trail.

Leal-Robles joins Rochelle Draper in George Washington's 2014 recruiting class, at present no 2014s have verballed to any other A10 schools. Stacey Schramm also has three verbals in her 2013 class, as Megan Linn, Paige Kovalsky, and Monica Macchiarulo have all committed to playing for the Colonials.

Leal-Robles is the latest Cal Lite player to commit to an Atlantic 10 school, as Emily Rogers and Brandi Harkness have committed to St. Joseph's and Megan Linn has also committed to George Washington.

If you have any recruiting news please email atlantic10softball@gmail.com

2012 Preview: UMass

Massachusetts Minutewomen
2011 Record (A10 Play): 29-19 (14-5)
Returning Position Players: Stephanie Mayne C/IF, Jordan Storro SS, Kyllie Magill 2B, Stephanie Mix OF, Katie Bettencourt OF, Teea Rogers 3B, Christina Della Vecchia IF/OF, Cyndil Matthew OF, Lindsey Webster OF, Tiffany Meeks OF, Paige Hansen IF, Maggie Quealy 1B, Sam Gray C
Returning Pitchers: Sara Plourde, Lindsey Webster, Caroline Raymond
Losses: Meg Carta C, Audrey Boutin 1B
Newcomers: Mikayla Panko OF, Bridget Lemire IF, Anna Kelley 3B, Quianna Diaz-Patterson SS, Allison Kearney OF

Sara Plourde

Caroline Raymond

Cyndil Matthew

Kyllie Magill

Pitching: The Minutewomen's pitching will arguably be it's greatest strength in 2012, although there are still some unknowns after moving past Sara Plourde. Lindsey Webster and Caroline Raymond both had their seasons in the circle cut short by injuries, so they will be looking for a fresh start in 2012. Sara Plourde is the two-time conference pitcher of the year and she has also led the nation in strikeouts the past two seasons. Plourde has carried an enormous load on her shoulders the past two seasons, as she has thrown over 600 innings. Plourde went 27-15 last season with a 1.30 ERA and 498 SO in 295.1 IP. Coach Elaine Sortino is going to look to Webster and Raymond to take some of the load off of Plourde this year. Both Raymond and Webster had flashes of excellence last year, before dealing with injuries. Webster went 0-3 with a 3.85 ERA and 22 SO in 20 IP, though it is worth noting that her appearances came against Tulsa, Washington, and Fresno State all teams that advanced to NCAA Regionals. If Webster can get off to a strong start the Minutewomen could be very formidable in the circle. Caroline Raymond is the other UMass pitcher who was sidelined with injuries last year, as she was able to play in just 8 games, going 2-1 with a 2.88 ERA and 15 SO in 24.1 IP. However if you take Raymond's illegal pitch filled debut (the delivery has been corrected) against Washington out, her ERA drops down to 2.01. Raymond features a excellent changeup and she is an extremely imposing presence in the circle standing over 6 feet tall. Coach Sortino may have the most talented pitching staff in the conference and she will look to them to each provide innings this year so everyone is fresh for a postseason run.

Catching: This is the big mystery for the Minutewomen, as Meg Carta has graduated leaving a big hole at the position of catcher. Sam Gray and Stephanie Mayne may get the first crack at it, but UMass has an extremely versatile roster so a number of different players could step behind the plate including Katie Bettencourt or Quianna Diaz-Patterson. Coach Sortino is going to have to make a decision as to whether she wants the best defensive catcher or the best lineup offensively and it may be a decision that changes depending on the game.

Infield: It is going to be very interesting to see how the Minutewomen's infield shapes up, as the only position set in stone looks to be Kyllie Magill at second base. Magill has been a steady consistent performer for the Minutewomen over her first three seasons and they will look to her to be a leader in 2012. Magill hit .294 with 48 hits, 3 HR, 25 RBI, and 10 SB last year for UMass. She is a triple threat and she could end up hitting in any of the first three spots for the Minutewomen this year. Jordan Storro is the incumbent at shortstop, but she will be pushed hard by freshman Quianna Diaz-Patterson. Both players are extremely athletic and it would not be a surprise to see either one remain in the lineup in a different position. Diaz-Patterson and Storro are two of the fastest runners in the conference and they will make it extremely difficult on opposing catchers. Teea Rogers is back after starting her first two seasons, but freshman Anna Kelley is providing stiff competition for her and it will all come down to who is better on field. The big question for UMass is who will play first base? There are a number of different players who could play there including Maggie Quealy, Paige Hansen, Bridget Lemire, Stephanie Mayne, and Tiffany Meeks. Coach Sortino is going to look for someone in this group to step up offensively and hold down the position.

Outfielders: The Minutewomen return all three outfielders from last year and add former A10 Player of the Year Katie Bettencourt back into the fray along with a few freshmen. Cyndil Matthew is back after a solid sophomore season, which saw her hit .324 with 44 hits, 0 HR, 9 RBI, and 13 SB. Matthew has tremendous speed and she really got things going with her bat at the end of the year for UMass. Lindsey Webster is also back after a solid freshman campaign at the plate. Webster hit .297 with 33 hits, 8 HR, and 23 RBI. Webster is poised for a breakout season in 2012 and all of those totals should be much higher this season. Christine Della Vecchia and Tiffany Meeks are also back after splitting time in left field last season. They will be challenged for playing time with the return of Katie Bettencourt. Bettencourt was Atlantic 10 co-Player of the Year in 2010, after hitting .333 with 51 hits, 7 HR, and 33 RBI. If Bettencourt can return to that level, the rest of the league better watch out. Freshman Mikayla Panko could also push for playing time, as she is extremely athletic out in the outfield.

Schedule: The Minutewomen have a extremely difficult non-conference schedule, but it is one that will pay off at the end of the season come tournament time. UMass opens up the season with three difficult, but RPI boosting weekends of play, as they will face UAB, Louisville, DePaul, Michigan, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Maryland, and Alabama: all teams that advanced to regionals in 2011. Then Minutewomen's schedule gets a little easier in Clearwater, FL, though Chattanooga, Illinois, USF, and Northwestern will still be good quality games for UMass. In conference play, UMass will get 10 games at the friendly confines of the UMass Softball Complex, while they will hit the road for the other 10. The Minutewomen will get St. Joseph's, Temple, and Dayton at home, while they will have to hit the road to face Fordham and St. Louis. UMass has a great schedule that puts them into a good position, but it will all come to down to what they do on the field.

Postseason prognosis: The Minutewomen are shaping up to be a very good squad in 2012 and a bid to regionals along with an Atlantic 10 title are very realistic possibilities. UMass is going to great great pitching, so its success will really come down to how well the offense performs. If UMass' offense is potent this year, the Minutewomen could find themselves playing deep into May and possibly even June. There is too much talent on this team for there to be another off year like last season. The Minutewomen will finish in the top 2 with a slight possibility of 3rd. This team looks very good on paper, but it will all come down to how they perform on the field.

A10 Softball Blog Readers Predictions for 2012

Over the past few weeks we have had polls up on the site allowing readers to vote on who they thought would win the conference to who they thought would take home the individual hardware and here are the results. Thank you for your participation, as hundreds of votes were cast!

Preseason poll
1. Fordham (tied)
1. UMass (tied)
3. Dayton
4. St. Joseph's
5. Charlotte
6. George Washington
7. Temple
8. St. Bonaventure
9. St. Louis (tied)
9. Rhode Island (tied)
11. La Salle

Player of the year: Lauren Nacke, Dayton
Pitcher of the year: Sara Plourde, UMass
Rookie of the year: Victoria Valos, George Washington

Our predictions will be coming in the next week...