Monmouth Softball Selected as 2020 Preseason Favorite, Lindsey Baron Named Preseason Player of the Year
Monmouth Softball Selected as 2020 Preseason Favorite, Lindsey Baron Named Preseason Player of the Year
Edison, N.J. (Jan 29, 2020) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) announced Wednesday that Monmouth University has been selected as the 2020 softball preseason favorite with 119 points and nine first place votes, as voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches.
The Hawks won three-straight games in last year’s MAAC Championship en route to the school’s second-consecutive conference title. Alyssa Irons, the 2019 MAAC Softball Pitcher of the Year, was named the championship’s Most Valuable Player. Monmouth ended the season leading the MAAC in ERA (2.28), opposing batting average (.224), fewest runs allowed (135), slugging percentage (.423), and home runs (36). The Hawks would go on to fall to No. 10 LSU 0-2 and Louisiana Tech 0-1 in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional.
Monmouth’s Lindsey Baron was named the 2020 MAAC Softball Preseason Player of the Year. As a freshman, Baron led the MAAC last season in runs scored (51), doubles (21), home runs (12), and total bases (121). The rookie also ranked third in slugging percentage (.738), seventh in on base percentage (.437), and tenth in batting average (.354). Joining Baron on the Preseason All-MAAC Team are teammates Alyssa Irons, Kayla Rosado, and Amber Wozniak. Irons was a unanimous selection to the preseason squad as a pitcher after collecting multiple honors last season.
Marist placed second in the poll with 110 points and two first place votes after hosting last year’s MAAC Championship as the league’s top seed. The Red Foxes led the way in preseason honors, naming five players in Kaley Coltrain, Caroline Baratta, Ali Milam, Claire Oberdorf, and Calista Phippen to the Preseason All-MAAC Team. Baratta, Milam, and Phippen were all 2019 First Team All-MAAC selections while Coltrain and Oberdorf were Second Team selections. Baratta was the only position player to be unanimously selected to the Preseason All-MAAC Team.
Iona College (92 points) and Fairfield University (87 points) placed third and fourth in the poll, respectively. Fairfield’s Lauryn Rhinehart and Amanda Ulzheimer were named to the Preseason All-MAAC Team for the Stags. Rhinehart, along with Iona’s Jessica Chilcott, shared First Team All-MAAC honors at the utility position in 2019. Ulzheimer was also named a 2019 First Team All-MAAC selection, finishing fourth in the conference with a .385 batting average.
Manhattan College and Siena College finished in a tie for fifth place, with both teams collecting 67 points. Manhattan’s Annie Moore was named to the Preseason All-MAAC team as the designated player, ranking top five in the MAAC last season in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, RBIs, and doubles. The Saints entered the 2019 MAAC Championship as the No. 3 seed, earning the program’s first ever opening round win with a victory over Fairfield.
Quinnipiac University and Canisius college followed in seventh and eighth place with 51 and 49 points, respectively. Rounding out the 2020 MAAC Softball Preseason Poll were Niagara University (47 points), Rider University (22 points), and Saint Peter’s University (15 points).
Preseason Player of the Year: Lindsey Baron, Monmouth
| 2020 Preseason All-MAAC Team |
| Player |
Position |
Class Year |
Institution |
| Kaley Coltrain |
Catcher |
So. |
Marist |
| Caroline Baratta* |
Infield |
Jr. |
Marist |
| Claire Oberdorf |
Infield |
R-Sr. |
Marist |
| Kayla Rosado |
Infield |
Sr. |
Monmouth |
| Amber Wozniak |
Infield |
Sr. |
Monmouth |
| Amanda Ulzheimer |
Outfield |
Sr. |
Fairfield |
| Ali Milam |
Outfield |
Sr. |
Marist |
| Lindsey Baron |
Outfield |
So. |
Monmouth |
| Calista Phippen |
Pitcher |
So. |
Marist |
| Alyssa Irons* |
Pitcher |
Jr. |
Monmouth |
| Annie Moore |
Designated Player |
So. |
Manhattan |
| Lauryn Rhinehart |
Utility |
Jr. |
Fairfield |
* Denotes Unanimous Selection
| 2020 MAAC Softball Preseason Poll |
| Place |
Team |
Points |
| 1. |
Monmouth (9) |
119 |
| 2. |
Marist (2) |
110 |
| 3. |
Iona |
92 |
| 4. |
Fairfield |
87 |
| T5. |
Manhattan |
67 |
| T5. |
Siena |
67 |
| 7. |
Quinnipiac |
51 |
| 8. |
Canisius |
49 |
| 9. |
Niagara |
47 |
| 10. |
Rider |
22 |
| 11. |
Saint Peter’s |
15 |
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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 39
th year of competition during the 2019-20 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.