Feb. 13, 2008
2008 Patriot League Softball Webguide
Center Valley, Pa. - Lehigh was picked first in the 2008 Patriot League Softball Preseason Poll with 48 points and eight first-place votes. Colgate earned the remaining first-place votes with four, coming in second with 33 points. Rounding out the poll in order were Lafayette (30 points), Army (29), Bucknell (19) and Holy Cross (11). The poll is voted on by head coaches and sports information directors, who can not vote for their own team.
Lehigh has captured at least a portion of the Patriot League regular-season title the last nine seasons and outright in the last eight. While being the runner-up at the 2007 Patriot League Tournament, Head Coach Fran Troyan's club had won three-straight titles before last year's showing. Lehigh will be led by returning Patriot League Player of the Year senior Kate Marvel, who won the League's batting title (.415) and was first in triples (eight), runs (37), on-base percentage (.509) and slugging percentage (.619) and tied for first in hits (61). The three-time First-Team All-Patriot League centerfielder paced the nation in triples per game (0.16), keying the Mountain Hawks to a first-place ranking in the same category among NCAA Division I schools. Lisa Sweeney, a two-time Patriot League Pitcher of the Year honoree, will return for her junior campaign. Sweeney posted a League-best 1.47 ERA and ranked first in wins (19), saves (three) and opponent batting average (.165). She was second in the League with 155 strikeouts. Joining Marvel and Sweeney as returning All-Patriot League performers from a year ago are senior Taryn Hanley and sophomore Tiffany Curtis, who were named to the second team at the third base and pitcher positions, respectively.
Colgate earned its third Patriot League Championship title in 2007 under the direction of Head Coach Vickie Sax. Sax guided the Raiders to the tournament title in 1999 and 2003 as well. Colgate will welcome back six of its seven All-Patriot League selections from a year ago, including first-team honoree junior Calla Yee and second-team members junior Meg Mylan, junior Kortney Hannah, senior LaPorscha Albert, junior Vicky Ortengren and sophomore Jessica Sabo. Ortengren paced the Raiders with a .295 batting average last season with 15 RBI and 15 runs scored. Senior Whitney Scott recorded a team-high 27 runs and 18 RBI. Albert, the 2006 Patriot League Player of the Year, scored 25 runs, batted in 14 and ripped a team-high five home runs. While the loss of First-Team All-Patriot League pitcher Kelsey Nordstrom will be felt, sophomores Jesse McCarrick and Amanda Eccleston each saw time on the mound last year, appearing in 18 and 15 games, respectively.
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Since the arrival of Head Coach Jeanine Gunther in 2006, Lafayette has made two trips to the Patriot League Tournament and was seeded as high as second in 2006. Christina Giambrone returns as the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year and a Second-Team All-Patriot League honoree at the shortstop position. Giambrone was fourth in the League in batting average (.344), while collecting 42 hits, scoring 26 runs and batting in 30. The Leopards bring back senior Kristen Ruckno who was named All-Patriot League on the first team as a first baseman. Ruckno is tied for fourth on the Patriot League's career home runs list with 21, including five last year. She batted .321 with 30 RBI and 19 runs. Two other Second-Team All-Patriot League members will be back in uniform this year, including sophomore pitcher Kasey Karr and junior outfielder Robyn Matchett. Karr made a League-high 32 appearances, winning 12 of those games.
Head Coach Jim Flowers has guided Army to 15 Patriot League Tournament appearances and as the runner-up from 2003-2006. Army has won four Patriot League Tournament titles with its last coming in 2002. The Black Knights return two First-Team All-Patriot League performers back to their lineup from a year ago. Sophomore Erin McClain tied for the Patriot League lead with seven home runs in 2007. McClain batted .280 with 29 RBI and 14 runs scored. Senior Veronica Barth was honored as a utility player on the first team last year after batting .237 with 12 runs and 11 RBI and winning a team-high nine games on the mound with a 3.39 ERA.
Bucknell will bring back just one All-Patriot League member from last season in junior outfielder Ashley Carlson. Carlson boasted a .338 batting average and scored 24 runs. Head Coach Heather Rakosik returns the team's top hitter from a year ago, senior Erin Curatola, who batted .342 for fifth in the League. Curatola gathered a team-high 55 hits, including seven doubles, and batted in 22 runs. Sophomore Mary Pavlovich was tops in the Patriot League with 15 doubles and paced the Bison with 26 runs and 24 RBI, while hitting .311. All four of Bucknell's pitchers that saw time last year are back, including senior Christie Wiest, who won a team-high nine games.
Holy Cross will be under the direction of first-year Head Coach Brian Claypool, who returns the Crusaders' lone All-Patriot League pick from 2007 with Jayme Elliott entering her senior season. Elliot batted .275 with 14 runs and five RBI. Junior Natalie Cruz and sophomore Amanda Audette contributed 10 RBI each. Sophomore Melissa Pivonka made a team-high 21 appearances on the mound.
The 2008 Patriot League softball season begins this weekend with Army and Bucknell hitting the field, while all six teams will be in action by the first week in March. The Patriot League portion of the season will kick off Saturday, April 5 and will culminate at the 2008 Patriot League Tournament that will take place Thursday-Saturday, May 8-10 at the site of the highest seed.
For more information on Patriot League softball refer to the 2008 Patriot League Softball Webguide.
2008 Patriot League Softball Preseason Poll
| Rank | Team | Points (First-Place Votes) | 2007 Overall Record | 2007 League Record |
| 1. | Lehigh | 48 (8) | 35-18-1 | 17-1 |
| 2. | Colgate | 33 (4) | 25-24 | 12-5 |
| 3. | Lafayette | 30 | 21-25 | 10-10 |
| 4. | Army | 29 | 15-36 | 9-11 |
| 5. | Bucknell | 19 | 15-33-1 | 7-12 |
| 6. | Holy Cross | 11 | 5-39 | 2-18 |
