EDISON, NJ (February 16, 2022) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) announced that Marist College has been selected as the 2022 softball preseason favorite with 98 points and four first-place votes, as voted on by the league's head coaches.
Iona's Jessica Chilcott was named the 2022 MAAC Softball Preseason Player of the Year. The Kingston, NY native hit .362 last season and tied for the league lead with 10 home runs. The senior drove in 25 runs, hit 13 doubles and scored 28 runs.
Marist finished last season with a 15-12 record and went to the MAAC Championship Semifinals. The Red Foxes return unanimous Preseason All-MAAC infielder Caroline Baratta who hit .340 last season with four home runs. The Red Foxes also return Calista Phippen who pitched to a 1.69 ERA and 96 Kin 99.l innings last year. Catcher Kaley Coltrain led the MAAC with a .459 average and 10 home runs. Coltrain also drove in 30 runs.
Fairfield University finished second in this year's poll with 93 total points and one first-place vote. The Stags finished last season with a 22-14 overall record and placed three players on this year's Preseason All-MAAC Team including Megan Forbes, Kaitlin Hoffman, and Katie Kudlacik.
Monmouth University was picked just one point behind the Stags with 92 points and two first-place votes. The Hawks went 25-9 last season and earned the first seed in the conference playoffs. The Hawks return Preseason All-MAAC players Julia Thuer and Lindsey Baron.
Iona College was picked fourth in this year's poll and recorded two first-place votes, while Manhattan College was chosen just two points below Iona with two first-place votes as well to round out the top five, respectively.
Canisius College was chosen sixth with 82 points, Siena College was picked seventh with 57 points, Rider University just two points below the Saints with 55 points, Quinnipiac University was picked ninth with 33 points, Niagara University was chosen tenth with 29 points, and Saint Peter's University rounded out the poll with 15 points.
The 2022 MAAC Softball Championship is a six-team double elimination tournament hosted by the number one seed between May 11-14, 2022. All information regarding the MAAC Softball Championship can be found at maacsports.com.
| 2022 Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| 1 |
Marist (4) |
98 |
| 2 |
Fairfield (1) |
93 |
| 3 |
Monmouth (2) |
92 |
| 4 |
Iona (2) |
87 |
| 5 |
Manhattan (2) |
85 |
| 6 |
Canisius |
82 |
| 7 |
Siena |
57 |
| 8 |
Rider |
55 |
| 9 |
Quinnipiac |
33 |
| 10 |
Niagara |
29 |
| 11 |
Saint Peter's |
15 |
| Preseason Player of the Year |
| Jessica Chilcott - Iona |
| Preseason All-MAAC Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Kaley Coltrain |
Catcher |
Sr. |
Marist |
| Caroline Baratta* |
Infield |
Gr. |
Marist |
| Annie Moore |
Infield |
Sr. |
Manhattan |
| Lindsey Baron |
Infield |
Sr. |
Monmouth |
| Julia Thuer |
Infield |
So. |
Monmouth |
| Jessica Chilcott |
Outfield |
Sr. |
Iona |
| Lani Moreno |
Outfield |
Sr. |
Rider |
| Kaitlin Hoffman |
Outfield |
Sr. |
Fairfield |
| Megan Forbes |
Designated Player |
Jr. |
Fairfield |
| Heather Haberman |
Designated Player |
Gr. |
Niagara |
| Elena Gonzalez |
Utility |
Jr. |
Rider |
| Kara Zazzaro* |
Pitcher |
Sr. |
Iona |
| Katie Kudlacik |
Pitcher |
Sr. |
Fairfield |
| Calista Phippen |
Pitcher |
Sr. |
Marist |
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 41st year of competition during the 2021-22 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College.
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