2/23/2009

Softball picked fourth in Commonwealth Conference poll

Elizabethtown Softball Picked Fourth in Commonwealth Conference

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College softball team has been picked to finish fourth in the Commonwealth Conference during the upcoming season, as voted upon by the league's seven head coaches and released Monday.

The Blue Jays finished third in the 2008 regular season with a 5-5 record, then advanced to the conference championship game for the first time since 2003 before falling to Lebanon Valley College.

Head coach Kathy Staib begins her sixth season on the Blue Jay bench with eight returning starters from last year's squad, including junior shortstop Paige Tanner who was a second-team All-Conference selection after leading the team with a .286 batting average, 30 hits, 25 runs scored, seven doubles and 22 walks.

Lebanon Valley received six of seven first-place votes to take the top spot in the poll with 43 points, followed by Messiah College (one first-place vote, 36 points), Widener University (32 points) and Elizabethtown (27 points). Conference newcomer Arcadia University (23 points) is fifth, followed by Albright College (19 points) and Lycoming College (16 points).

The Blue Jays open their 2009 season with eight games during spring break in Clermont, Fla. from March 1-5, play their home opener against Susquehanna University on Wed., March 11, and begin Commonwealth Conference play on Sat., March 14 at Widener.