Softball Tops 2014 ECC Preseason Ledger
Full Release
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (Feb. 4, 2013) - After earning a ranking of 11th in the nation, the LIU Post softball team was picked first in the East Coast Conference Preseason Poll, released Tuesday. In addition, senior shortstop
Nicole Hagenah (Commack, N.Y.) earned her third-straight preseason Player of the Year honor, while senior hurler
Liz Weber (Brightwaters, N.Y.) garnered Pitcher of the Year kudos.
Hagenah shares this year's Player of the Year award with Molloy's Nicolette Sinagra. The pair were both chosen to the All-ECC second-team last season. Hagenah, the 2012 ECC Player of the Year, posted a .393 batting average in 2013. She also smacked 14 doubles, belted seven homers, drove in 48 runs, and finished in the Top-10 in the ECC in nearly every offensive category.
Named the ECC Co-Player of the Year for her exploits both in the circle and at the plate (.401 batting average, 12 doubles, 10 home runs) last season, Weber is the preseason pick for the league's Pitcher of the Year honor in 2014. In 36 appearances, 33 of which were starts, Weber compiled a 24-7 record with a 2.02 earned run average in her outstanding 2013 campaign. She also finished among the conference's leaders with 22 complete games, seven shutouts, 201.1 innings pitched, 216 strikeouts, and a .239 batting average against.
Last year's regular season champions, the Pioneers landed seven of the eight first-place votes for 63 total points. Defending ECC champion Molloy received the final first-place nod, and grabbed the second spot in the poll. Dowling and Mercy wrapped up the top half of the poll, respectively.
Queens claimed the No. 5 slot, while Bridgeport, NYIT, and St. Thomas Aquinas rounded it out.
LIU Post returns 15 letterwinners along with four newcomers who are poised to make an immediate impact. The Pioneers open their season in Garden City, N.Y. on Mar. 2, as they face off against Adelphi. First pitch is at 11 a.m.
2014 East Coast Conference Preseason Poll
|
School |
Pts. |
2013 Record |
|
1. LIU Post (7) |
63 |
47-15 (25-3 ECC) |
|
2. Molloy (1) |
53 |
53-14 (24-4 ECC) |
|
3. Dowling |
49 |
30-19 (17-11 ECC) |
|
4. Mercy |
37 |
26-25 (13-15 ECC) |
|
5. Queens |
30 |
14-25 (12-16 ECC) |
|
6. Bridgeport |
29 |
18-32 (8-20 ECC) |
|
7. New York Institute of Technology |
16 |
14-30 (8-20 ECC) |
|
8. St. Thomas Aquinas |
11 |
8-30 (5-23 ECC) |
( ) - first place votes