CC Preseason Poll | CC Preview
LANCASTER, Pa. – The Ursinus College softball team was picked to finish fifth in the Centennial Conference preseason poll.
Washington College received four first-place votes and 56 points to edge Gettysburg, which earned two first-place votes and 55 points, atop a tightly packed prognostication. McDaniel received two first-place votes and 51 points, while defending champion Franklin & Marshall had one first-place ballot and 48 points to finish fourth.
Ursinus garnered 34 points to land just outside the projected playoff field, and was followed by Swarthmore (26), Muhlenberg (25), Dickinson (17), and Haverford (12).
Head coach Sam Campo's squad has finished 17-19 overall and 7-9 in CC competition each of the last two years, but the nucleus is in place to break into the playoff field in 2018. The Bears bring everyone back from last season, including a pair of returning all-conference selections in junior Samantha Garritano and senior Faith Carson.
Garritano enjoyed a breakout season in 2017, finishing with team highs in batting average (.377, 4th CC), hits (43, 9th), on-base percentage (.445, 5th), slugging percentage (.491), triples (3), home runs (1), and RBI (24, 4th). Garritano, who was second on the team with 22 runs and fourth with five stolen bases, was even better in conference play, topping the league with 24 hits and 15 RBI while hitting .429 (5th) and producing a .484 on-base percentage (5th). She also owned a .985 fielding percentage with a pair of outfield assists.
Carson turned in impressive numbers in her first season with the Bears, hitting .304 with 14 RBI and ranking second in the conference with three triples. She came on strong down the stretch, posting a .347 average and .396 on-base percentage in CC games and registering multiple hits in five of her last seven starts.
Junior Gabrielle Manto completes the Ursinus outfield; she hit .309 with a home run and seven RBI a year ago.
Junior Sammi Donato is back to man third base, coming off a productive campaign in which she hit .354 with a team-high eight doubles, a home run, and 17 RBI. Junior Kayla Quinn, a versatile utility player, hit .255 and led the team with 13 stolen bases, and sophomore Marissa Beebe (.247, 11 RBI) was solid in her debut. Junior Callie Crouse, who hit .297 with two homers as a freshman, will look to bounce back from a tough season at the plate, although she did match the team high with eight doubles. Senior Rachel Hyman is a career .274 hitter at third base.
Sophomore Renee LeClerc gained some valuable catching experience last season, batting .291 with seven RBI in 55 at-bats.
Senior Kaitlyn Willis, a bonafide Pitcher of the Year candidate, heads the rotation. The right-hander went 14-9 with a 3.23 ERA and a career-high 89 strikeouts a year ago, and was 10-8 with a miniscule 1.96 ERA as a sophomore. Willis owns 30 career victories and has compiled a cumulative ERA of just 2.61.
Sophomore Jennifer Hammons logged 65.2 innings over 14 appearances (8 starts), posting five complete games and a 4.80 ERA.
Campo also brought in a talented class of ten freshmen, and expects to receive contributions from many of them as the Bears chase their first playoff appearance since 2012.
The softball team opens the 2018 season with its annual trip to Florida for spring break, which will include ten games against a strong slate of opponents. The journey begins March 4 with contests against Carthage and Monmouth (Ill.).