SOFTBALL PICKED TENTH IN NE-10 PRESEASON POLL
SOUTH EASTON, MA - The Pace University softball team has been picked to finish 10th in the 2008 Northeast-10 Conference Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll, as determined by the conference's 15 coaches. The Setters received 81 points.
Pace will look to improve upon last season's overall record of 18-30, 9-19 in NE-10 play and compete for the conference tournament, as the Setters return 11 letter winners.
Powering the offense will be junior Patricia Hurley (Assonet, MA/Apponequet), who was named to the 2007 All-Conference Third Team. Hurley posted career numbers in '07 batting .336 (48-for-143) on the year with 22 RBI's and 19 runs scored, starting in all 47 games she played in.
Junior Kiryl Shada (Pleasant Prairie, WI/Tremper) will be the main anchor on the mound as she led the team in ERA (2.31), wins (13), appearances (26), games started (24), complete games (22), shutouts (5), innings pitched (160.2) and strikeouts (116) in 2007. In just two seasons, Shada already ranks eighth all-time at Pace in innings pitched, sixth in wins, third in strikeouts, sixth in ERA, eighth in complete games and tied for fourth in shutouts.
The Setters will kick off their 2008 campaign during their annual Spring Break trip, as Pace travels down to Raleigh, NC to take on Saint Augustine's College on Monday, March 17th. The Setters will also travel to Mount Olive College (NC), Barton College (NC) and Virginia State University during the week. Pace's '08 home opener is scheduled for Wednesday, March 26th as the Setters host Caldwell College with first pitch scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
2008 NE-10 Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Team Points
2007 Record
1. Le Moyne
(7) 215
32-17
2. Bryant
(4)
194
28-18
3. Southern Connecticut
(3)
189
32-17
4. Southern New
Hampshire 179
24-12
5. Merrimack
161
23-20
6. UMass Lowell (1)
159
30-22
7. American
International 137
23-24-1
8.
Stonehill 108
13-24-1
9. Saint
Rose 90
16-22
10.
Pace 81
18-30
11. Assumption
74
10-34
12. Saint Michael's
62
26-14
13. Saint Anselm
60
13-26
14.
Bentley 47
2-40
15. Franklin
Pierce 44
9-29
(First place votes in parentheses)
