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News Release

UMBC Softball Picked Third in America East Preseason Coaches’ Poll

2/14/2008

Amanda Fefel led UMBC with 13 home runs last season.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—The UMBC softball team was predicted to finish third in the America East Preseason Coaches’ Poll, which was released today. The Retrievers received one first place vote and 35 overall points in a vote of the league’s head coaches. Boston University, the 2007 regular-season champion, is the preseason favorite, as the Terriers received 47 points, including five first-place votes. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.

Three-time defending champion Albany received the final two first-place votes to finish second with 42 points. Stony Brook (34) finished a close fourth, followed by Hartford (23), Maine (22), Vermont (12) and Binghamton (9).

The Retrievers’ receive their best preseason billing since joining the America East in 2004. UMBC was picked to finish fourth last season but went into the conference championships as the No. 2 seed behind Boston U., then advanced to the finals before falling to Albany.

Despite losing the big bats of Melanie Denischuk, Krissy Licursi and Reilly Ward, the Retrievers return a powerful lineup that includes first-team all-conference and all-rookie selection Amanda Fefel (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) and second-teamer Ashley Gray (Pasadena, Md./Northeast/Delaware State), as well as senior captains Kali Shirk (North Wales, Pa./North Penn) and Dana Shepherd (Columbia, Md./Oakland Mills).

Fefel led UMBC with 13 home runs last season while also pitching to a 13-3 record with a 3.15 ERA and 80 strikeouts, while Gray, also a two-way player, slugged eight homers and posted a miniscule 1.81 ERA with 135 strikeouts.

Shirk and Shepherd, the Retrievers’ catalysts atop the batting order, combined to steal 26 bases and score 74 runs while both hitting better than .300. Shepherd also set UMBC’s single-season record for doubles with 19.

The Retrievers begin their season this weekend at the UNC-Greensboro Spartan Classic. UMBC will take on Cleveland State and Central Michigan on Saturday and the host Spartans as well as James Madison on Sunday. The Retrievers’ home opener is Saturday, Feb. 23 against Bucknell.