NORTHEAST-10 RELEASE

MANSFIELD, Mass. – The Southern New Hampshire University softball team was selected to finish atop the Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division for the fifth consecutive season, as the league announced its annual Preseason Coaches' Poll on Tuesday.

The Penmen received 14 first-place votes and 112 total points to finish with the highest point total of any team in either division. Stonehill College amassed 85 points to check in second, while Merrimack College received Southern New Hampshire's first-place vote and was third with 82 points. Assumption College slotted in just behind the Warriors with 81 points, and Saint Anselm College rounded out the top-five in the Northeast Division with 57 points.

Adelphi University was chosen to top the Southwest Division standings with 97 points and 13 first-place votes. Defending NE-10 champion Pace University accounted for the two remaining first-place ballots and finished second with 80 points, and Le Moyne College was third with 73 total points. The University of New Haven and American International College completed the top-five with 62 and 43 points, respectively.

Southern New Hampshire finished the 2016 season with an overall record of 29-15, and advanced to the NCAA East Super Regional for the second consecutive season. The Penmen, who reached the Northeast-10 Championship final for the third year in a row, return a trio of All-Conference performers from a season ago, headlined by NE-10 Pitcher of the Year and First-Team choice, junior Sarah Lavallee (Candia, N.H.).

The Penmen kick off their 2017 campaign on Friday, February 17 with a doubleheader against Le Moyne and Wilmington (Del.) University at the Snowbird Softball Freeze Out Tournament in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. SNHU opens its home slate on Tuesday, March 28 with a Queen City Cup clash against Saint Anselm College at 4 p.m.

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2017 Northeast-10 Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll

Northeast
1. Southern New Hampshire - 112 (14)
2. Stonehill - 85
3. Merrimack - 82 (1)
4. Assumption - 81 
5. Saint Anselm - 57
6. Bentley - 56
7. Franklin Pierce - 37
8. Saint Michael's - 22

Southwest
1. Adelphi - 97 (13)
2. Pace - 80 (2)
3. Le Moyne - 73
4. New Haven - 62
5. AIC - 43
6. Southern Connecticut State - 35
7. Saint Rose 23
() – Denotes Number of First-Place Votes