MANSFIELD, Mass. – Saint Anselm, which claimed its first-ever NE10 Tournament Championship in 2019 and has won more than 40 games each of the past two seasons, has been selected first by the conference's head coaches in the 2020 NE10 Softball Coaches' Poll. The Hawks claimed seven of 14 possible first place votes.
The Hawks were selected 17th in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II Top 25 Preseason Poll and have claimed each of the last two NE10 Northeast Division Regular Season Titles. In 2018, Saint Anselm finished as the National Runner-Up and last year the Hawks went 41-10 while advancing to the NCAA East Region Championship Series. They also went an impressive 23-2 in conference play in 2019.
This year the league has gone back to one division, as Saint Anselm earned 162 points to edge out Adelphi, who had five first place votes and 153 points. The Panthers have appeared in the NE10 Championship each of the past three seasons, claiming titles in 2017 and 2018. Southern New Hampshire secured the final two first-place votes and was just behind Adelphi with 151 points after going 38-15 in last season.
New Haven was selected fourth in the poll with 136 points while Pace took fifth the poll with 112 points. Le Moyne was sixth at 108 points, while Assumption (100) and Bentley (82) rounded out the top eight. See below for the complete poll.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
