Softball Picked to Finish Third in 2008 BIG EAST Championship
January 08, 2008 | Softball
Jan. 8, 2008
PROVIDENCE, RI - - The University of Louisville softball team was picked to finish third in the 2008 BIG EAST Softball Preseason poll, by a vote of the league's 12 coaches who were not permitted to select their own squad. The DePaul Blue Demons, coming off their fourth trip to the Women's College World Series, were picked to finish first in the DPU received nine first-place votes and 116 points. USF finished second in the poll with three first-place votes and 110 points,
Louisville, the defending BIG EAST tournament champion and the league's 2007 preseason favorite is coming off of a 37-25 season. The Cards earned their fourth-straight NCAA appearance, beating Oregon State 8-0, but then falling to Michigan and Oregon State in the elimination game. U of L returns 12 letterwinners and six starters from last year's team including BIG EAST second team selection junior outfielder Kristi Cunningham. Sophomore pitcher Kristen Wadwell earned BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding player and was joined on the all-conference third team by junior Kassie Stanfill and sophomore Brittany York. Additionally, coach Sandy Pearsall is seven wins away from notching her 300th victory at Louisville.
DePaul, the 2007 BIG EAST regular season champions, were eliminated in the WCWS by eventual-winner Arizona in a 3-0 loss on June 2 at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla. The 14th-seeded squad reached its fourth WCWS berth defeating Mississippi Valley (10-0) and sweeping Missouri (2-0, 3-0) in the NCAA Carbondale Regional, and then trouncing the third-seeded Oklahoma 3-0 and 7-2 in the NCAA Super Regionals. The Blue Demons finished with an overall record of 47-13 and went 20-0 in conference play. The squad returns 10 players, while welcoming nine newcomers. Head coach Eugene Lenti returns for his 27th season with the team. Lenti, who has over 900 career victories and 15 postseason appearances to his name, will be inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Hall of Fame this year.
USF, picked to finish second in the preseason poll for the second consecutive year, ended the 2007 season with a 44-22 overall record, 15-5 BIG EAST. The Bulls earned the No. 2 seed in the conference championship and lost 5-1 to eventual-winner Louisville in the quarterfinals. The squad returns several starters, including its entire pitching staff.
The Cardinals will open the 2008 season at Florida State's Early Bird Tournament Feb. 8-10.
2008 BIG EAST Preseason Softball Poll 2007 2007 2007 BIG EAST Points Overall Record BIG EAST Record Reg.-Season FinishDePaul (9) 116 47-13 20-0 1stUSF (3) 110 44-22 15-5 2ndLouisville 100 37-25 14-6 3rdNotre Dame 97 32-24 13-7 4thConnecticut 69 22-21 10-9 5thSt. John's 56 18-36 7-15 10thRutgers 50 20-34 7-15 9thSyracuse 48 21-31 9-11 6thPittsburgh 40 23-35 8-11 7thSeton Hall 36 15-35 9-13 8thVillanova 36 25-31 5-17 12thProvidence 34 23-24 6-14 11th
(-) - First-place votes
