CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (Feb. 5, 2016) - On Friday, LIU Post softball junior pitcher
Ashley Martin (Long Beach, N.Y.) was named the East Coast Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year, while the Pioneers were voted atop the league's preseason poll.
LIU Post received 58 points and five first-place votes, en route to being tabbed as the preseason favorite. The Pioneers are coming off their 14th-straight appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament last season, after going 32-17-1 overall and 22-6 in ECC play.
In 2015, Martin earned ECC Pitcher of the Year and Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-East Region first-team accolades. She boasted an 18-6 record with a 1.61 earned-run average and 120 strikeouts. Martin's efforts also landed her All-ECC first-team and ECAC All-Star second-team nods, in addition to a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team.
Martin led the ECC in wins and shutouts (8), and was second in strikeouts. Additionally, she ranked third amongst all league pitchers in ERA and batting average against (.211).
Molloy College placed second in the poll with 50 points. New York Institute of Technology took the No. 3 spot, tallying 49 points and two first-place votes. Queens College (39 points) and Dowling College (32 points) rounded out the Top-5.
LIU Post opens the 2016 campaign on Sunday, Mar. 6, when they face University of the Sciences and Post University in Clermont, Fla. at 9 and 11 a.m., respectively.
2016 ECC Softball Preseason Poll
1. LIU Post (Five First-Place Votes) - 58 Points2. Molloy - 50 Points
3. NYIT (Two First-Place Votes) - 49 Points
4. Queens - 39 Points
5. Dowling - 32 Points
6. Mercy - 23 Points
7. Bridgeport - 21 Points
8. St. Thomas Aquinas (One FIrst-Place Vote) - 16 Points