SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Curry College softball team has been picked to finish seventh in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the league office on Thursday afternoon.

Salve Regina grabbed the top in the poll with 79 points and eight first-place votes. Western New England follows the Seahawks in second with 86 points and one first-place vote. The final first-place vote went to Endicott, who earned 80 points to place third. Roger Williams (77) and the University of New England (53) round out the top five.

Nichols (44), Curry (40), Gordon (39), Eastern Nazarene (26), and Wentworth (12) round out the bottom half of the poll.

Curry's squad returns 10 student-athletes and welcomes in eight newcomers to the 2018 roster. This year's Colonels are headlined by two student-athletes who were named to the All-CCC teams in 2017. Senior Kevi Oatway (East Hartford, Conn.) was named to the Second Team after a junior campaign where she hit .315 and registered 35 hits, 21 RBI's and scored 11 runs. Oatway also recorded one double, one triple, and two home runs last season. Senior Jessica Saluti (Braintree, Mass.) will serve as the captain for this season.

Additionally, the Colonels return All-CCC Third Team selection Mikayla Lambert (Blackstone, Mass.). Lambert finished her junior season with a .354 batting average while registering 45 hits, including eight doubles. She also posted six wins in the circle, tossing nine complete games.

The Colonels open the 2018 slate on Sunday, March 11 as they travel to Fort Myers, Fla. for the Gene Cusic Classic. Curry will play 10 games in the Sunshine State, beginning with Swarthmore at 9:00 a.m. and following with a contest against Pitt.-Bradford at 11:00 a.m.

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