Jan. 29, 2008

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - The Lewis University softball team has been selected to finish second in the 2008 Great Lakes Valley Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Lewis collected 157 total points and two first-place votes. The Flyers, under the guidance of 2007 GLVC Coach of the Year George DiMatteo, finished last season with a 19-5 league mark and runner-up honors at the GLVC Tournament. The Flyers posted a 34-14 overall mark and will return four All-GLVC selections from last year's squad, including first-team picks Kelly Dianis and Mallory Paine. Dianis, a junior shortstop, hit .354 last season with 10 doubles and 26 RBI. Paine, a senior catcher for the Flyers, hit .319 with six home runs and 27 RBI.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has been selected the favorite to claim the conference championship. The Cougars collected 168 total points and 12 of the 14 first-place votes to top the GLVC Preseason Coaches' Poll. SIUE has won back-to-back league titles and is coming off the school's first NCAA Division II Championship. The Cougars completed the national title run with a 49-8 record and won 16 straight games to close out the year.

Missouri S&T picked up 140 total points in the poll to finish third and Southern Indiana placed fourth with 131 total points. Quincy notched 110 total points and is placed fifth in the poll. The Lady Hawks were followed closely by UW-Parkside which placed sixth with 109 total points. Saint Joseph's and Northern Kentucky tied for seventh place in the poll with 91 points each.

UIndy (89 total points), Missouri-St. Louis (52), Kentucky Wesleyan (47), Bellarmine (36), Drury (33) and Rockhurst (20) round out the poll.

The 2008 GLVC Championship will be determined by an eight-team tournament following the league's 26-game regular season schedule. The event will be held at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, Illinois on May 1-3.

Lewis begins its season on Feb. 15, playing at the Delta State Invitational at Tunica, Miss.