United States Coast Guard Academy - Department of Athletics - Softball - Bears Ranked 11th in National Preseason Poll

NEW LONDON, CONN.--(2/12/10)--Coast Guard which made its first NCAA Division III tournament appearance last season is ranked 11th nationally, its highest ranking in school history, in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Preseason Poll.

Last season, Coast Guard became the first team to go unbeaten in New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play as the Bears posted a 15-0-1 mark and finished with a school record 39 wins and a 39-7-1 record, reaching the NCAA Division III New England region championship game.

The Bears, who finished ranked 24th last season, return seven starters including sophomore pitcher Hayley Feindel, who led the nation last year with 34 wins. She had an outstanding freshman season in which she was 34-6 with 13 shutouts and a 1.24 ERA in 288 innings and shattered the single-season school record with 382 strikeouts.

Feindel, the ECAC New England Pitcher and Rookie of the Year last season was also the New England Softball Coaches Association (NEISCA) New England Player of the Year, a first team All-New England by the NFCA as well as NEWMAC Pitcher and Rookie of the Year.

The Bears also return their top two hitters from last season senior third baseman Courtney Wolf and junior catcher Amanda Frederick.

Wolf led the team with a .371 batting average, broke the old school record of nine homers set by Suzie Van der Veer in 2002, by belting 14 homers while also driving in 47 runs, just two shy of Van der Veer’s record 49 in 2002. Wolf is now the Bears’ career-leader with 19 homers. Wolf was a second team All-region selection by both the NEISCA and the NFCA as well as earning first team All-conference honors.

Frederick, who was second with a .366 average, led the team with 11 doubles and was second in homers (4) and RBI’s (42). She was also named second team All-region by the NEISCA and the NFCA while earning first team All-conference accolades.

Coast Guard and head coach Donna Koczajowski, in her 13th season, are the top ranked team in the poll from New England. Rhode Island College (18th), Emerson (19th) and Tufts (20th) are the only teams from New England in the Top 25 poll. Tufts beat the Bears in the New England Regional Final last season.

The Bears open the season on March 7th at the Rebel Games in Kissimmee, Florida with a pair of games against Misericordia and Albion.