Coaches Predict Three-Peat for Bridgeport Softball In Preseason ECC Poll

West Babylon, N.Y. – After winning the past two East Coast Conference Softball Championships, Bridgeport begins the 2022 season as the favorite once again after taking the top spot in the league's preseason poll. The conference's preseason awards were also announced with Molloy's Chrissie Huhn (Croydon, Pa.) and Bridgeport's Kaira Ramon (Stamford, Conn.) sharing the Preseason Player of the Year honor, while Bridgeport's Kaite Burawski (Hartley, Del.) takes the Preseason Pitcher of the Year accolade.

Bridgeport received five of seven first place votes to top the poll with 47 points. Six starting position players and one starting pitcher return from last year's Purple Knights squad that finished 23-9 and swept the ECC regular season and tournament championships. Among the key returnees for Bridgeport are All-Conference selections Taylor Yates, Meg McFarland, and the aforementioned Ramon and Burawski.

Ramon, the reigning ECC Player of the Year and a three-time All-Conference First Team selection, begins her final season with a share of the league's top preseason honor. In 2021, Ramon ranked in the top-five in the ECC with a .424 batting average, 29 runs scored, 13 doubles, 14 walks, a .509 on-base percentage, and a .630 slugging percentage. Her outstanding play earned her a long list of accolades including consensus All-East Region status and a spot on the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-America Team as an honorable mention pick.

Burawski was dominant in the circle a season ago on her way to winning the ECC Pitcher of the Year honor. In 22 appearances that spanned 147.2 innings, Burawski compiled a 15-5 record with a 1.47 earned run average and 193 strikeouts. Her strikeout and ERA totals were best in the conference and ranked in the top-20 in all of Division II. She also topped the league with a .188 batting average against. Burawski excelled in the postseason for Bridgeport, as well, earning the Most Outstanding Player of the ECC Championship after compiling four wins, 34 strikeouts, and a 1.36 ERA in the tournament.

Molloy comes in at No. 2 in the poll with one first place vote and 40 points. The Lions return the majority of their 2021 squad that earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Championship and finished with a 29-16 record. Like Bridgeport, Molloy returns four All-Conference honorees in Courtney Greene, Emma Bachman, Karsyn Eaton, and Huhn.

Huhn had an immediate impact in her collegiate debut for the Lions. She earned ECC Rookie of the Year laurels after leading the conference with 71 hits, 36 runs scored, 16 doubles, 94 total bases, and 25 stolen bases. In addition, she finished third in the league with a .433 batting average and 26 runs batted in. Her 71 hits also ranked ninth in the nation. Like Ramon, Huhn was a consensus All-Region pick and a D2CCA All-America Honorable Mention honoree.

St. Thomas Aquinas earned the final first place vote and 38 points to come in at No. 3 in the poll. The Spartans made their first-ever appearance in the final of the ECC Championship and finished with a 24-13 record a season ago.  

Mercy rounds out the expected ECC Championship participants in the poll's No. 4 spot and 27 points. D'Youville is next at No. 5 with 21 points, while Queens tops Staten Island by one point (12-11) to finish out the poll.

2022 ECC Softball Preseason Poll

( ) - first place votes

Co-Preseason Player of the Year: Chrissie Huhn, So., IF, Molloy
Co-Preseason Player of the Year: Kaira Ramon, Sr., OF, Bridgeport
Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Kaite Burawski, Jr., Bridgeport