University of Maine was picked to finish third with 46 points, while UMBC received the final first-place vote and garnered 41 points in the fourth spot. Stony Brook University followed was just one point behind UMBC with 40 points. University of Hartford (22), University of Vermont (15) and Binghamton University (13) round out the eight-team poll.
The top four teams in the conference will advance to the America East Championship, held at the number one seed on May 11-13, with the winner of the tournament receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Softball Championship.
Boston U. (29-29 overall, 11-10 America East in 2006) earns the league’s top preseason billing behind the strength of its sophomore class. In 2006 head coach Shawn Rychcik had six freshmen represented on the all-conference teams with three of those players earning all-rookie status. Headlining that group of returnees is Shayne Lotito (Acton, Calif./Vasquez), who was a first-team all-conference outfielder and batted .354 with 70 hits a year ago. As the fourth seed last season, the youthful Terriers made it to the finals before losing to Albany 5-2.
The back-to-back America East Champion Great Danes (36-13-1, 14-6) appeared in their second-straight NCAA Tournament to cap off last season’s 36-13-1 record. Despite losing four all-conference players from a year ago, head coach Chris Cannata returns two first-team all-conference players, including America East Pitcher of the Year Casey Halloran (East Greenbush, N.Y./Columbia), who boasted a 1.51 earned run average with 252 strikeouts and a league-best .165 opposing batting average. The 2005 America East Rookie of the Year left fielder Amber Maisonet (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh) picked up from where she left off as she was a first-team all-conference selection last season. Maisonet batted .333 with 53 hits and 25 stolen bases.
The Black Bears (35-19, 16-5) captured the regular-season crown last season by posting a 16-5 record in league play. Despite the top seed and home-field advantage, Maine went 0-2 in the America East Championship. Reigning America East Coach of the Year Stacey Sullivan, who begins her second season in Orono, looks to help lead the Black Bears make another run at the title behind the strength of last year’s America East Rookie of the Year Jenna Balent (Conifer, Colo./Conifer). Balent went 14-12 with a league-best 1.35 ERA with 156 strikeouts and just 33 earned runs allowed in 171.0 innings.
UMBC (46-20, 11-10) finished 2006 with a league-best 46 wins, including a 24-8 mark at home. Head coach Joe French returns a depth of talent including the 2006 America East Player of the Year Melanie Denischuk (Poway, Calif./Carstairs, Alberta, Canada/Hugh Sutherland (Carstairs)/Indian River CC/Auburn). The senior first baseman helped lead the league’s best offense by batting .432 with a league-leading 79 hits, 24 home runs, 82 RBIs, 161 total bases and 39 walks. Joining Denischuk is first-team all-conference third baseman Reilly Ward (Olney, Md./Sherwood) and second-team selection Dana Shepard (Columbia, Md./Oakland Mills).
After just missing out on the postseason in 2006, the Seawolves (25-25, 10-10) look to take the next step this season. Seventh-year head coach Megan Bryant returns several key players from last year’s squad including all-rookie team selection Kelsi Fanelli (Audubon, N.J./Audubon). Fanelli batted .287 with 48 hits and 33 runs scored. Anchoring the Seawolves on the mound will be senior Sarah Hoffman (Commack, N.Y./Commack), who won nine games and posted a 2.82 ERA.
Hartford (17-24, 7-14) returns first-team all-conference catcher Nikki Thompson (West Seneca, N.Y./John F. Kennedy). Thompson batted .306 with a .521 slugging percentage starting 41 games behind the plate. She’s joined by a pair of all-rookie team honorees Amanda Sais (Tustin, Calif./Tustin) and Jackie Simonetty (Denville, N.J./Mount Saint Dominic Acad.). Sais batted .326 with 43 hits and 12 steals, while Simonetty is one of the league’s top returning middle infielders. Head coach Todd Randall enters his 11th year with the Hawks.
Vermont (15-27, 6-15) captured six league wins last season, which is the most since 2004. Head coach Marcie Hickey begins her first season with the Catamounts. Hickey replaces Pam Childs who resigned at the end of the 2006 season following 21 years at the helm of the Vermont softball program. Childs owns the most wins in the program’s history with 306 victories. UVM returns second-team all-conference hurler Aimee Kern (Wrentham, Mass./King Philip), who record 11 of Vermont’s 15 wins and boasted a 2.22 ERA with 168 strikeouts in 164 innings. Another top returner is all-rookie pitcher/utility player Alison Daggatt (Fort Collins, Colo./Fort Collins).
The Bearcats (15-32, 8-13) ended last season by winning three in a row and hope to pick up from where they left off this season. Binghamton returns three of its top four hitters from a year ago, Sandy Meadows (Huachuca City, Ariz./Buena), Mia Bieman (Wingham, Ontario/ Briafcliff CC) and Emilie Palmcrantz (Leksand, Sweden/Long Beach CC). Head coach Ali Brian begins her first season at the helm of the Binghamton program. She arrives from the University of Dayton, where she was the top assistant coach the past two seasons.