For the second straight year, the
University of Rochester softball team was recognized as the preseason favorite in the 2023 Liberty League preseason poll in a vote by the conference's head coaches. The Yellowjackets are coming off winning back-to-back Liberty League titles and two trips to the NCAA Tournament.
With only nine points separating the top-three teams in the preseason poll, it is shaping up to be a close race in Liberty League softball. Rochester was recognized with the top honors with seven of a possible eight first-place votes (coaches cannot vote for their own teams) for 49 points. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) was predicted to finish second with a first-place vote and 42 points while Ithaca College was picked third with 38 points. Clarkson University edged out Skidmore College for fourth with 28 points to the Thoroughbreds' 27 for fifth. Union College (19) was sixth and the Dutchwomen are followed by St. Lawrence (14) and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT, 7).
Rochester returns to action fully loaded with the return of all 16 players from last season and the addition of five newcomers. The Yellowjackets finished last year with an overall record of 26-15 and a 13-1 mark against conference opponents en route to their tenth overall Liberty League title. A trio of players in Lauren Keys, Ally Kim, and Bailey Nicholoff are back following standout rookie seasons in 2022. Keys, the 2022 Liberty League Co-Pitcher of the Year, finished the year at 11-7 with a 3.47 earned run average for 90.2 innings pitched. She recorded seven complete games, struck out 48, and held opponents to a .261 batting average. Kim was recognized with 2022 Liberty League Rookie of the Year honors after playing and starting in all 41 games last season, where she hit .393 while leading the league in runs scored (48) and stolen bases (46). She recorded a team-high 53 hits, 18 of which were for extra bases (10 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR), and 26 runs batted in. Nicholoff, an All-Liberty League first-team honoree, hit for .297 while driving in a team-high 46 runs on 38 hits. She scored 31 runs while belting a team-best seven home runs, three triples, and tying for second in doubles with 10. Hannah Keiper (All-Liberty League second team) also returns and was .288 at the plate last year with 23 runs, nine doubles, six home runs, and 30 runs batted in.
RPI finished the 2022 campaign at 27-15 overall and 10-4 in league play, earning the third seed in the Liberty League tournament. The Engineers will be a seasoned team heading into 2023 with a pair of graduate students and five seniors leading the way. Gabby Comeau and Erin Askins, who both earned All-Liberty League first-team accolades last season, return and were two of the team's top hitters last season. Comeau was tops on the team and third in the Liberty League with a .434 batting average, producing 62 hits in 143 at-bats. She had a team-high 16 doubles while scoring 16 runs and knocking in 43. Askins (.379, 37 RBI) led RPI with 41 runs and 20 extra-base hits on 15 doubles, three triples, and a pair of home runs. She was issued a team-high 17 walks and totaled 77 bases on the year. Erika Holowka (All-Liberty League second team) headlines the team from the pitching circle after making 21 appearances (17 starts) with an 11-6 record and a 2.90 earned run average for the Engineers last season. Holowka was one of four Liberty League pitchers to strike out more than 100 batters (110) and she tied for second among league leaders in wins.
Ithaca closed out last season with an overall record of 21-17 (11-3 Liberty League) and was the second seed in the Liberty League postseason for the second consecutive year. With the graduation of only three players, the Bombers will have a veteran presence on the field to open 2023. Allison Dell'Orto and Sela Scheinman are back and both were recognized with All-Liberty League second-team honors after leading the team at the plate last season. Dell'Orto was second on the team with a .293 batting average and she had nine hits for extra bases—four doubles, three triples, and two home runs. Scheinman hit .256, good for fourth on the team to go along with 23 hits, 17 runs, and 18 runs batted in. Ithaca also welcomes back Tava Kasper (All-Liberty League honorable mention), who had a team-high four home runs last year. She totaled 22 hits and 19 runs batted in. Anna Cornell returns after a strong rookie season, where she went 10-5 from the pitching circle. In 87.1 innings of work, she was among the league's best pitchers, ranking second in earned run average (2.00) and batters stuck out (118).
Clarkson will eye a return to the Liberty League postseason after just missing the tournament last year as the Golden Knights wrapped up last season at 15-17 overall (5-9 Liberty League). They will be a young squad with two seniors and there will be big shoes to fill with the graduation of 2022 Liberty League Co-Pitcher of the Year Olivia Zoeller, who logged 89.0 innings for the Golden Knights and posted a league-low 1.18 earned run average. Riley Page (4-4) will step up and lead the pitching corps in her senior season after making 15 appearances (6 starts) last season. In 35.1 innings, she struck out 39. She also hit .464 in 28 plate appearances, including a pair of home runs. Zoey Kovach (All-Liberty League second team) and Bridget Twaits bring experience to the batting order. Kovach, in her first season with the Golden Knights, ranked fourth in the Liberty League for batting average (.422), going 27-for-64 at the plate in 23 games. She scored seven runs and drove in 16. Twaits played in 23 games and recorded eight hits.
Skidmore (24-14, 7-7 Liberty League) reeled off four straight wins to end the 2022 regular season as the Thoroughbreds posted a program record 24 wins and returned to the Liberty League tournament for the first time since 2017. Skidmore welcomes a new head coach in Liz Neubinski, an alumna of the University of Rochester (2008-2011), to kick off 2023. She comes to Saratoga after coaching stops at SUNY Cobleskill, the University of Redlands, Wells College, and Hamilton College. The duo of Meghan Robertson and Melissa Mathias return for their senior seasons after earning All-Liberty League second-team honors last season. Robertson paced the team in runs batted in (28) to go along with eight doubles, two triples, and 32 runs. She finished the year second on the team in steals (8) and batting average (.380) while Mathias was fourth at .326. Mathias scored 29 runs and knocked in seven. She was also one of Division III's toughest to strike out, she went down on strikes only once last season in 89 at-bats. Lindsey Raimondi also returns as the team's top pitcher. She made a team-high 25 appearances (18 starts) last year, where she went 11-5 and recorded two saves. In 105.1 innings, she compiled a 4.52 earned run average. Her 11 wins ranked her second among league leaders and she was among the top ten in batters struck out (7th, 85).
Union will look to build upon its first winning season since 2014 as the Dutchwomen finished the year at 24-14 overall (5-9 Liberty League). With seven seniors, the Dutchwomen will be a seasoned team this season. A pair of All-Liberty League honorees headline the team and class of 2023 in Karson Saunders (first team) and Tara Hartnett (honorable mention). Saunders played in all 32 games last season, where she led the league in slugging percentage (.840), on-base percentage (.513), OPS (1.353), and home runs (8). She was second in batting average, going 45-for-100 at the plate (.450), tied for second in triples (5), and fourth in runs batted in (35). She also recorded a team-best 11 stolen bases. Hartnett was another top hitter for Union last year with a .360 batting average, good for second on the team. She registered 32 hits on the year, including four doubles, two triples, and two home runs while scoring 30 runs and driving in 17.
St. Lawrence wrapped up the 2022 campaign at 16-15 overall and a year of experience should translate well on the field for the Saints with the graduation of only three. All-Liberty League second-team honorees Margo Hopper and Cora Ferguson highlight the team's returning players. Hopper boasted a team-best .411 batting average and 39 hits while Ferguson (.387) was tops on the team in runs batted in with 29. The duo combined for four doubles, eight triples, and six home runs. They were both ranked among the league's top 10 in batting average (5th, 9th) slugging percentage (4th, 9th), and runs batted in (9th, 6th). Stella VanGee (.344) and Vivian Johnson (.311) will also be key returnees to the lineup after hitting above .300 last season. Sofia Berryhill returns to the pitching circle after a strong first-year campaign, where she went 5-4 with a 2.15 earned run average, ranking her third among league leaders. She made a team-high 21 appearances and tossed 78.0 innings while striking out 46.
RIT opens the 2023 campaign with a core nucleus of players back in Rochester. The Tigers will be led by senior Alexis Smith (34 games), who earned All-Liberty League honorable mention recognition following the 2022 season. Smith finished the year with a .300 batting average along with a team-high eight doubles and 18 runs batted in. She also finished second on the team in runs (18), hits (30), and total bases (40). Maddy Cook returns as a sophomore after a strong rookie season in 2022. Cook made an immediate impact for the Tigers, playing in all 34 games last season. She recorded 30 hits in 114 at-bats for a .263 batting average. She knocked in 12 runs and stole a team-high four bases.
The 2023 softball season begins on Thursday, February 23 when Rochester travels to Maryland for a pair of doubleheaders against Salisbury and Stockton. League play begins on Saturday, April 15 with four doubleheaders (RPI at Skidmore, Union at Ithaca, Clarkson at St. Lawrence & RIT at Rochester).
2023 Liberty League Softball Preseason Poll
Place. Team, Points
1. Rochester, 49 (7)
2. RPI, 42 (1)
3. Ithaca, 38
4. Clarkson, 28
5. Skidmore, 27
6. Union, 19
7. St. Lawrence, 14
8. RIT, 7
(First-place votes are in parentheses)