COUGARS TIED FOR NINTH IN NFCA DIVISION II PRESEASON POLL
2-2-05
CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College softball team is ranked
ninth nationally in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association
Division II Top 25 Poll, released today. The Cougars and North Florida
received 129 points to tie for ninth in the poll, which is voted on by
eight NCAA Division II head coaches representing the eight NCAA
regions. Florida Southern, last year's national runner-up to No. 15
Angelo State, received the
poll's top ranking.
Head coach Dean Johnson returns 13 of 16 players and seven
starters from last year's squad that finished with a record of 45-7 and
was ranked No. 7 in the NFCA final poll. Included among the
returnees are first team All-Northeast Region infielder Amy Coker
(Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville) and first team All-Central Atlantic
Collegiate Conference performers Katie Jackson (Pennsville,
NJ/Pennsville), Jackie Velardi (Belleville, NJ/Belleville) and
Anna Dahl (Lindenwold, NJ/Camden Catholic). Last season,
Caldwell captured CACC regular-season and tournament titles and won
the Northeast Region Tournament to earn a trip to the College World
Series. Johnson and assistant coach Barbara Zafiris also were
named the Northeast Region Coaching Staff of the Year for the Cougars'
outstanding 2004 season.
"We're very happy that the program is recognized in a national poll,"
Johnson said. "It's a credit to the young women in the program and to
the support we receive from the College. But we realize it's a
preseason poll, and we have a lot of work to do to get back to where
we want to be."
Caldwell kicks off the 2005 season in Kissimmee, Fla., for the Rebel
Games on March 16-20.
NFCA Division II Preseason Top 25 Poll
|
Rank |
Team |
Record |
Pts |
Pvs |
|
1 |
Florida Southern (5) |
47-11 |
196 |
2 |
|
2 |
Kennesaw State (2) |
64-4 |
187 |
5 |
|
3 |
Shippensburg (1) |
48-6 |
172 |
4 |
|
4 |
St. Cloud State |
42-15 |
168 |
3 |
|
5 |
Northern Kentucky |
54-7 |
163 |
8 |
|
6 |
Alabama-Huntsville |
48-11 |
153 |
12 |
|
7 |
Colorado-Colorado Springs |
39-13 |
152 |
10 |
|
8 |
Humboldt State |
53-15 |
148 |
9 |
|
9 |
Caldwell |
45-7 |
129 |
7 |
|
9 |
North Florida |
46-13 |
129 |
18 |
|
11 |
St. Mary's (TX) |
46-12 |
123 |
15 |
|
12 |
Bloomsburg |
28-16-1 |
102 |
16 |
|
13 |
San Francisco State |
41-25 |
97 |
NR |
|
14 |
Grand Valley State |
36-8 |
94 |
14 |
|
15 |
Angelo State |
47-11 |
93 |
1 |
|
16 |
Missouri Western |
31-19 |
92 |
NR |
|
17 |
Rollins |
42-16 |
72 |
18 |
|
18 |
LeMoyne |
34-10 |
61 |
NR |
|
19 |
Emporia State |
43-18 |
44 |
NR |
|
20 |
Lewis |
45-13 |
42 |
23 |
|
21 |
Presbyterian |
48-13 |
37 |
NR |
|
22 |
West Florida |
36-20 |
27 |
NR |
|
23 |
Cal State Dominguez Hills |
33-22-1 |
24 |
NR |
|
24 |
Texas Woman's |
40-15 |
22 |
24 |
|
25 |
Lock Haven |
27-17 |
21 |
NR |
Others receiving votes:
Seattle 19, Long Island-C.W. Post 11, Nebraska-Omaha 10, Tampa 5,
Western New Mexico 5, Bryant 1, West Virginia Wesleyan 1 |
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