Atlantic 10 ReleaseNEWPORT NEWS, Va. --Â The Fordham softball team has been predicted to win its fourth straight Atlantic 10 Conference Softball Championship, it was announced Friday by the league according to the preseason poll conducted by the conference's 10 head coaches.
The Rams enter 2016 after posting a 38-20 record in 2015. Fordham, who has also won four of the last five conference championships, will be led by graduate student pitcher/designated hitter and First & Second Team All-Atlantic 10 selection
Rachel Gillen. The Rams also return First Team All-Atlantic 10 second baseman
Amy Van Hoven and Second Team All-Atlantic 10 outfielder
Sydney Canessa.
Saint Louis was picked second in the poll, garnering 86 points, while Dayton, the 2015 Atlantic 10 regular season champions, was selected to finish third with 84 points.
Saint Joseph's took the fourth spot in the preseason poll with 69 points, followed by George Mason in fifth place with 52 points and George Washington in sixth with 43 points. Massachusetts was picked seventh and La Salle was chosen eighth, while St. Bonaventure and Rhode Island rounded out the 2016 selections, respectively.
Fordham begins the 2016 season Feb. 12 when the Rams take on #19 James Madison at the UCF Knights Invitational in Orlando, Fla. Fordham will also face #5 Alabama later that afternoon, before taking on Rutgers and #17 Central Florida the following day. The Rams conclude their trip with a game at Stetson on Valentine's Day.
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