Softball Unanimous Choice to Three-Peat as Atlantic 10 Champions

Atlantic 10 Release

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Fordham softball team has been predicted to win its third straight Atlantic 10 Conference Softball Championship, it was announced Friday by the league in the annual preseason poll conducted by the league's 10 head coaches. The Rams were the unanimous selection for the top spot in the poll after receiving all 10 first-place votes. 

Fordham enters 2015 after posting a 36-20 record in 2014. The Rams, winners of three of the last four A-10 championships, will enter 2015 behind the arm of senior pitcher and First Team All-Conference selection Michele Daubman. Sophomores Amy Van Hoven and Sydney Canessa were also First Team selections a year ago and coach Bridget Orchard was the 2014 A-10 Coach of the Year.

Saint Louis was picked second in the poll, garnering 86 points, while Saint Joseph's was picked to finish third with 73 points. Massachusetts took the fourth spot in the preseason poll with 70 points, followed by Dayton in fifth place with 61 points and George Washington in sixth with 51 points. George Mason was picked seventh and La Salle was chosen eighth. St. Bonaventure and Rhode Island rounded out the 2015 selections respectively.

The 2015 Atlantic 10 Softball Championship will be hosted by Massachusetts at Sortino Field, May 6-9 in Amherst, Mass.

The Rams open the season next Friday, Feb. 6 with a pair of games at Arizona State's Kajikawa Classic against Nevada and Fresno State.
 
2015 Softball Predicted Order of Finish
(Number of first place votes in parenthesis)
1.     Fordham (10)........................... 100
2.     Saint Louis................................ 86
3      Saint Joseph's.......................... .73
4.     Massachusetts......................... .70
5.     Dayton...................................... 61
6.     George Washington............... ....51
7.     George Mason.......................... 39
8.     La Salle.....................................37
9.     St. Bonaventure........................ 17
10.  Rhode Island ............................. 15