ANNVILLE, Pa. (Softball) – The Misericordia Cougars were selected as the favorite in the 2020 conference preseason poll conducted among the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) softball coaches. The Cougars received 48 points and six first-place votes.
Stevens earned 38 points and one first-place vote to be ranked second. DeSales and Wilkes both collected 37 points to be tied for third. The Bulldogs also earned one first-place vote. King’s (24 points) rounded out the top-five.
The rest of the poll in respective order includes FDU-Florham (20 points), Delaware Valley (10 points) and Eastern (10 points).
A season ago, Manhattanville finished the conference slate with a 13-1 record to claim the regular-season title and the top-seed in the conference championship. The Valiants went on to claim the MAC Freedom title with a 6-3 win over Misericordia. Manhattanville won five of the last six titles before departing from the conference last summer.
The 2019 MAC Freedom Championship seeds were: No. 1 Manhattanville, No. 2 Misericordia, No. 3 Wilkes and No. 4 DeSales.
Manhattanville earned the conference’s automatic qualifier (AQ) to the NCAA Division III Championship. The Valiants went 1-2 at the Virginia Beach Regional.
Stevens finished the 2019 campaign with a 22-19 overall record and a 12-2 record in the Empire 8. The Ducks fell to Alfred in the conference tournament to end their season.
The 2020 season is set to begin on Feb. 15. The 2020 MAC Freedom Softball Championship is set for May 1-2 at Robert L. Betzler Athletic Complex on the campus of King’s College.
The 2020 MAC Freedom Preseason Poll and 2019 final standings can be viewed below.
| 2020 MAC Freedom Softball Coaches' Preseason Poll |
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
(1st Place Votes) |
| 1 |
Misericordia |
48 |
(6) |
|
| 2 |
Stevens |
38 |
(1) |
|
| t3 |
DeSales |
37 |
(1) |
|
| t3 |
Wilkes |
37 |
|
|
| 5 |
King's |
24 |
|
|
| 6 |
FDU-Florham |
20 |
|
|
| t7 |
Delaware Valley |
10 |
|
|
| t7 |
Eastern |
10 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2019 MAC Freedom Softball Final Standings |
|
| Finish |
Team |
Conf. |
Overall |
|
| 1 (1) |
Manhattanville |
13-1 |
41-4 |
|
| 2 (2) |
Misericordia |
11-3 |
30-12 |
|
| t3 (3) |
Wilkes |
8-6 |
26-16 |
|
| t3 (4) |
DeSales |
8-6 |
16-24 |
|
| t5 |
King's |
6-8 |
19-18 |
|
| t5 |
FDU-Florham |
6-8 |
15-19-1 |
|
| 7 |
Delaware Valley |
3-11 |
11-25 |
|
| 8 |
Eastern |
1-13 |
6-30 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| (#) - Conference Tournament Seed |
|
|