LANCASTER, Pa.- The Atlantic East Conference softball coaches released their preseason poll on Tuesday morning and the Immaculata University softball team was picked to finish atop the league standings once again in 2021. Following this selection, Immaculata extends its streak of first-place selections as the Macs have now been picked to finish atop the Atlantic East standings each of their three years in the Atlantic East Conference.

Immaculata earned 23 of the maximum 25 points available in the poll along with three first-place votes followed closely by Neumann in second who earned 21 points and a pair of first-place votes while Cabrini and Wesley tied for third with 16 points each. Marywood captured the fourth spot in the preseason poll with nine points while Gwynedd Mercy rounded out the poll with five points of its own to round out the poll.

Immaculata will look to build off its success from the shortened 2020 season as the Mighty Macs opened the year with a record of 9-1, winning nine games in a row after dropping the opening game of a doubleheader at Washington College. This 9-1 start was also the Mighty Macs best start to a season in the last 10 years, improving upon their previous best start of 8-2, which occurred at the beginning of the 2019 season.

Immaculata returns numerous key players for the 2021 season led by senior infielder Keani Hindle who has been a fixture on the left side of the Macs infield throughout her career. Hindle, who remains the reigning Atlantic East Player of the Year after capturing this top honor at the conclusion of her sophomore season, was off to a strong start in her junior season before it was halted. Through her first 10 games, Hindle batted .345 with a team-best four doubles as well as a team-high nine RBI in the shortened season. The Macs also return sophomore Sara Rode who batted a blistering .471 with 16 hits both of which were team highs. Immaculata is also bolstered by the return of junior Cat Knoll who ranked fourth on the team in batting average at .433 on the year with 13 hits and eight RBI, which ranked second on the team trailing only Hindle and Emily Mesey who ended the year with nine each.

 In the circle, Immaculata will turn to Sarah Guido and Renee DeAngelis as two returning starters from a season ago. DeAngelis posted the best record on the team in the shortened season at a perfect 4-0 with a 2.14 ERA over the course of 21 innings on the season. Guido, also enjoyed a solid sophomore season ending the year with a 2-0 record and an ERA of 2.77 over the course of 13 innings during the 2020 season.  

 

Team	Preseason Points	First Place Votes
1. Immaculata University	23	3
2. Neumann University	21	2
3. Cabrini	16	1
3. Wesley	16	-
4. Marywood	9	-
5. Gwynedd Mercy	5	-