Sparkill, N.Y. – St. Thomas Aquinas College and Molloy University share first-place honors in the preseason poll of East Coast Conference (ECC) softball coaches announced today. 

STAC and Molloy each received three first-place votes to top the poll with 33 points while Mercy was third with 22 points. Molloy’s Steph Conrade was picked as the Preseason Player of the Year and teammate Brianna Macias was named Preseason Pitcher of the Year.

“We’ve built a winning culture here based on our success over the last four seasons and I am confident that we can sustain the momentum this season, ” said STAC Head Coach Kristen Sullivan. “We will have a number of new players in key positions this season. We had a very encouraging fall season and I’m very excited to see how this group develops.” 

The Spartans rewrote the program record book last year with an impressive 32-18 record. The team set a new single-season record for wins and won its first East Coast Conference championship. 

In 2024, STAC will tackle a very challenging 58-game schedule that includes some of the top NCAA Division II teams in the nation along with a first-ever trip to South Carolina. STAC will travel to Spartanburg, S.C, to compete in the Valkyrie Classic on Feb. 2-4 before traveling to play eight games in its annual trip to The Spring Games in Winter Haven, Fla. on March 7-12. Other non-league opponents include two teams that competed in the 2023 Div. 2 World Series - East Stroudsburg (Penn.) University and Wilmington (Delaware) University. In total, the 2024 schedule will feature teams from 11 different states including Minnesota, Florida, Ohio, Massachusetts, South Carolina and North Carolina. 

This is the fifth straight year that STAC has placed in the top three of the ECC pre-season poll, yet another indication of the program’s sustained progress.

2024 ECC Softball Preseason Poll
T-1. Molloy
33 points (3 first-place votes)
31-21 (15-5 ECC) in 2023

T-1. St. Thomas Aquinas
33 points (3 first-place votes)
32-18 (15-5 ECC)

3. Mercy
22 points 
15-31 (10-10 ECC)

4. D'Youville
18 points
19-28 (10-10 ECC)

5. Queens
11 points
11-34 (7-13 ECC)

6. Staten Island
9 points
11-37 (3-17 ECC) 

Preseason Player of the Year
Steph Conrade, Gr., OF, Molloy 

Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Brianna Macias, Sr., Molloy