Defending Champion Purple Knights Top 2020 ECC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll

West Babylon, N.Y. - The softball coaches of the East Coast Conference have selected Bridgeport, the league's defending champion, as the favorite to claim the conference's title in 2020. The coaches also selected Mercy's Hannah Mueller (Fair Oaks, Calif.) and St. Thomas Aquinas' Adrianna Dilal (Rochester, N.Y.) as the ECC Preseason Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively. 

Bridgeport received four first-place votes and 33 points to top the poll. The Purple Knights are coming off the most successful season in program history. In 2019, Bridgeport won an ECC Championship for the first time in program history and ended a 30-year drought without an NCAA Division II Championship appearance. Much of last year's team is back for another go-around as seven position players and two pitchers who saw regular time last season are on the roster. Among the returnees are four All-Conference First Team honorees in Elyssa Marmolejo, Samantha Sabor, Allison Luzzi, and Kaira Ramon.  

St. Thomas Aquinas comes in behind Bridgeport with 29 points and one first-place vote. The Spartans set a program record with 25 wins and ended a 12-year postseason drought by appearing in last year's ECC Championship. New York Tech comes in at No. 3 after finishing just one point behind St. Thomas Aquinas. The Bears also earned the final first-place vote.

Mercy and Molloy tied for the No. 4 spot with 14 points. Both programs, who have been among the best in the ECC in recent years, look to earn a spot in the ECC Championship after missing out a season ago. Queens wraps up the poll at No. 6 with eight points.

Mueller earns the league's Preseason Player of the Year honor after finishing as the ECC's top hitter a season ago. She led the conference and ranked in the top-20 in Division II with a .456 batting average after smacking 67 hits. Mueller also compiled 36 runs, six doubles, three triples, 30 runs batted in, and seven stolen bases.  Her outstanding play earned her a spot on the ECC All-Conference First Team as well as consensus All-East Region First Team Accolades. In addition, Mueller was honored as a Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) Honorable Mention All-American.

Dilal takes home the ECC Preseason Pitcher of the Year honor after an outstanding performance in her first season as a Spartan. She finished with a 10-7 record in the circle to go along with an ECC-leading 2.03 earned run average over 107.0 innings pitched. Dilal topped the conference with a .201 batting average against and ranked fourth with 98 strikeouts, as well. For her efforts, Dilal was an ECC All-Conference Second Team honoree.

2020 ECC Softball Preseason Poll

() - first place votes

Preseason Player of the Year: Hannah Mueller, Jr., IF, Mercy
Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Adriana Dilal, Sr., St. Thomas Aquinas