BOSTON — Fresh off a trip to the America East championship game a season ago, the Stony Brook softball team was picked to finish first in the conference in 2020.
The team received four out of seven possible first-place votes, as voted on by the league's coaches.
"Our league is getting stronger and there is so much parity," coach Megan Bryant said. "Anyone can beat anyone on a given day. We are confident in our team's ability to compete at a high level. Our goals are in front of us and we work toward them each day."
The Seawolves return four players who received all-conference honors a season ago, including two-time America East Player of the Year
Melissa Rahrich. The senior, who was named to the Softball America Top 100 List last week, hit .418 with 17 home runs and a program-record 60 RBIs in 2019. She also won 19 games with a 2.09 ERA in the circle.
A pair of second-team all-conference members,
Jourdin Hering and
Jordyn Nowakowski, also return for their senior campaigns. They are joined by all-rookie team selection
Shelbi Denman.
The team won 32 games in 2019, including a 11-7 mark in conference play. The season gets underway against Colgate on Feb. 21 in Madeira Beach, Fla.
Here is the full America East preseason poll, with first-place votes in parentheses:
1. Stony Brook, 34 points (4)
2. UMass Lowell, 31 (2)
3. UMBC, 24 (1)
4. Binghamton, 21
5. UAlbany, 18
6. Hartford, 13
7. Maine, 6
