Somerset, NJ- The Wagner College Softball team has been picked to finish third in the Northeast Conference preseason rankings this year, according to a poll of the league’s head coaches.
Receiving all nine first-place nods were Long Island, who captured both NEC Regular Season and Tournament Championship last year. 2008 runner-up Robert Morris was slotted second, followed by Wagner in third and Saint Francis (PA) in fourth. Monmouth was tabbed fifth, Sacred Heart sixth with Quinnipiac right behind in seventh. Rounding out the list were Central Connecticut State in eighth and Mount St. Mary’s and Fairleigh Dickinson in ninth and tenth, respectively.
In the hunt for its first league title, Wagner (27-22, 10-8 NEC) and 14th year head coach
Glen Payne bring two all-conference honorees back to Grymes Hill after a 2008 campaign, in which saw the Seahawks made their fifth consecutive postseason appearance.
2008 NEC Player of the Year,
Andrea Lazzari (Reno, NV/Wooster) returns for her senior campaign after pacing the NEC in a host of categories last season. An All-NEC First Team member in 2006 and 2008, Lazzari’s keen eye and deadly swing produced the most hits (65), RBI (55), doubles (15), and total bases (110) in the conference. She also tied for first with 10 home runs and landed third in both batting average (.425) and on-base percentage (.448). The Nevada native’s ability to get on base was one of the factors in the Seahawks leading the league with a .320 average and 5.4 runs per game.
Enhancing Wagner’s attack is senior designated hitter and All-NEC Second Team selection
Jaclyn Vanore (Palisades Park, NJ/Paramus Catholic). Last season, Vanore generated 20 walks to place among the top-10 on the circuit and record one of the league’s best on base percentages (.443).
On the mound, the Seahawks feature the junior duo of
Danielle Wagoner (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley) and
Kate Eshelman (Reno, NV/McQueen). Wagoner finished with a 9-5 mark while Eshelman won nine times and recorded the pitching staff’s top ERA (3.54).
Wagner opens up its 2009 campaign Friday, February 6 when the Seahawks compete in the Arizona State University Tournament. Throughout the two-day tournament, Wagner will compete against Penn State, Texas Tech., Western Michigan, UCSB, and Oregon.
2009 Northeast Conference
Softball Preseason
Coaches Poll
1. Long Island (9)
2. Robert Morris
3. Wagner
4. Saint Francis (PA)
5. Monmouth
6. Sacred Heart
7. Quinnipiac
8. Central Conn. St.
9. Mount St. Mary’s
10. Fairleigh Dickinson