ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend women's softball team was chosen to finish in first place in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC), according to the preseason voting by the league's head coaches.
The Lions are looking to secure their ninth AMCC title after falling to Mount Aloysius in the AMCC championship last season. Medaille is expected to finish second while reigning champs Mount Aloysius is expected to finish third.
Players to watch for Behrend were senior pitcher AJ Nichols and senior outfielder Carson Hauser. Nichols was the 2018 Pitcher of the Year including First Team All-Conference. She was also named NFCA East All-Region Second Team and ECAC Honorable Mention. Nichols led the team and the AMCC with a .82 ERA along with a team-high 19 wins. Hauser was named second team all-conference in 2018 along with NFCA East All-Region third team. She led the team in hits (64), runs (41), triples (5), stolen bases (25), batting average (.405), and OBP (.441).
The AMCC tournament will be held May 3-5 at the site of the #1 seed, with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Pre-Season Ranking*
1. Penn St. Behrend (1)
2. Medaille (2)
3. Mount Aloysius (T3)
4. Penn St. Altoona (T3)
5. Hilbert (T5)
6. Franciscan (7)
7. D'Youville (T5)
8. La Roche (8)
9. Pitt-Bradford (9)
10. Pitt-Greensburg (10)