University of Delaware Athletics
Blue Hens Picked in Tie For Third Place in CAA Softball Preseason Coaches Poll
2/3/2014 4:35:00 PM | Softball
RICHMOND, Va. -- The University of Delaware softball team was picked in a tie for third place in the 2014 Colonial Athletic Association Preseason Coaches Poll announced by the conference on Monday.
Hofstra, last year's regular season and conference tournament champion, received five of seven first place votes and finished on top of the poll with 35 points. James Madison was picked second with 35 points and the other two first place votes, while the Blue Hens and league newcomer College of Charleston were tied for third with 23 points each.
Towson was selected fifth with 17 points, UNCW was sixth with 10 points, and Drexel was tabbed seventh with seven points.
Delaware, which will be led by fourth-year head coach Jaime Wohlbach, returns 10 letterwinners and welcomes nine newcomers for the 2014 season. The Blue Hens went 35-22 last year, the second most wins in school history, and advanced to the CAA Tournament for the third consecutive year after finishing fourth with an 12-9 league mark.
The Blue Hens will look to replicate their offensive success from last season, when Delaware set UD single season records with 236 runs scored, 427 hits and 72 doubles, while their 20 home runs tied for second most in a single year.
The Delaware lineup will be paced by junior rightfielder Jessica Grisler, a second team All-CAA selection a year ago after batting .365 on the season. Grisler, the teams's leadoff hitter, set a UD single season record by scoring 39 runs, while her 65 hits ranked second in a single season and were second most in the league.
Grisler will be joined in the outfielder by classmates Shelby Jones, who earned CAA All-Rookie Team honors last season after batting .301, and Hannah George, who started all but two games in centerfield while hitting .270 on the season.
Fellow sophomore Lisa Stacevicz, who was also named to the league's All-Rookie Team a year ago, will be a major force in the Blue Hen lineup while senior Michelle McKinnon, a career .308 hitter, is expected to start as well.
The Delaware pitching staff will be led by freshman Carolyn Szymanski, a local product and four-year All-State selection from nearby Caravel Academy. Sophomore Kelly Lupton, a transfer from UNC Greensboro, will also be a major contributor in the circle, along with returning sophomores Kiersten Coffman and Taylor Curran.
Delaware kicks off its 2014 campaign this week as the Blue Hens will play five games at the Hawaii Paradise Classic in Honolulu, O'ahu. UD will open play at the tournament on Thursday by taking on 13th-ranked UCLA before facing Hampton and Hawaii, which is receiving votes in the preseason polls, on Friday.
UD opens its home schedule on Mar. 13-16 when the Blue Hens host the third annual Delaware Spring Invitational at the Delaware Softball Stadium. The Blue Hens begin CAA play on Mar. 22-23 with a three-game home series against the College of Charleston.
2014 Colonial Athletic Association Softball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Hofstra - 35 (5)
2. James Madison - 32 (2)
T3. College of Charleston - 23
T3. Delaware - 23
5. Towson - 17
6. UNCW - 10
7. Drexel- 7
