BOSTON –Stony Brook, which got off to a 10-4 start a year ago before the season was halted, is the 2021 America East softball preseason favorite according the league’s coaches’ poll that was unveiled on Thursday afternoon.
Stony Brook picked up five of a possible six first-place votes and 35 points. UMass Lowell, the 2019 regular-season champion, earned one first-place vote and was second with 30 points while reigning league champion UMBC was third with 26 points and one first-place tally. Here is the full poll:
2021 America East Softball Preseason Poll
No. School Points (1st Place Votes)
1. Stony Brook 35 (5)
2. UMass Lowell 30 (1)
3. UMBC 26 (1)
4. UAlbany 20
5. Binghamton 19
6. Maine 9
7. Hartford 8
Stony Brook’s Melissa Rahrich, the 2019 #AE#SB Player of Year, headlines the returnees along with UMBC’s Courtney Coppersmith, who earned All-America status in addition to being named #AESB Player and Pitcher of the Year in 2019, and three-time first-team All-America East selection Courtney Cashman from UMass Lowell.
Stony Brook will be the first team in action as it kicks off its season this on Friday, Feb. 17 at the Winthrop Tournament. Conference play begins on March 27 as teams are scheduled to play three-game series against each #AESB opponent, totaling 18 conference games. Due to COVID-19 schedules are subject to change. Full 2021 #AESB Schedule
The top four teams in the conference standings will qualify for the America East Softball Championship, which will be held at the top seed May 13-15.The league champion will earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Fans will once again be able to watch the majority of #AEWSOC this season. Select games will air on The AE on ESPN while others will air on AmericaEast.TV. Those games will be available on computers, OTT devices and the brand new America East app, which is available on all IOS and Android devices and can be found by searching ‘America East Conference’ in app stores.
Follow the @AEDigitalNet Twitter account to stay up-to-date on America East softball news all season long and use #AESB to join the conversation.
About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.
– #3Pillars – Building the Complete Student-Athlete –