Jan. 12, 2005
he University of Notre Dame softball team has been picked to win its 10th consecutive BIG EAST Conference regular-season crown by the league’s coaches, as announced by the conference on office on Tuesday, Jan. 11. The conference’s 10 head coaches rank every team except their own, with Notre Dame garnering all nine possible first place votes.
The Irish will return a veteran team in 2005, led by ’04 All-American senior CF Megan Ciolli and two of the top pitchers in the nation – senior Steffany Stenglein and junior Heather Booth. Ciolli was named the ’04 BIG EAST Player of the Year while Stenglein earned the league’s pitcher of the year award last season.
Head coach Deanna Gumpf’s team graduated just one player last season, first-team all-BIG EAST pick OF Nicole deFau. The Irish are expected to be back at full strength, however, with senior 3B Liz Hartmann, junior C Mallorie Lenn and junior OF Kellie Middleton all back to full strength after dealing with an assortment of injuries over the past off-season.
Seton Hall, who bested the Irish in four games late last season, was picked to finish second in the league, followed by Villanova, Boston College and Syracuse.
The league falls to 10 teams in 2005 with the movement of Virginia Tech to the ACC. The conference will bounce back in 2006, however, as it welcomes DePaul, Louisville and South Florida into the league – three of the top programs in the nation.
The 2005 season will begin for the Irish on Feb. 11, 2005, with a matchup at Florida (as part of a Gator early-season tournament).
2005 Preseason Softball Coaches Poll
Team Pts. '04 BE '04 Overall '04 BE Finish1. Notre Dame 81 18-2 49-20 1st2. Seton Hall 73 12-8 46-19 t-2nd3. Villanova 63 12-8 32-26 t-2nd4. Boston College 57 11-9 33-25 4th5. Syracuse 43 9-11 25-29 t-7th6. St. John's 41 10-10 28-26 t-5th7. Providence 30 10-10 34-20-1 t-5th8. Connecticut 26 6-12 23-23 10th9. Rutgers 24 8-12 25-29-1 9th10. Pittsburgh 12 3-15 21-36 11th