COLONIA, N.J. (Jan. 30, 2025) – The Mercy University softball team has been picked to finish second in the ECC Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the conference office earlier today.

St. Thomas Aquinas received five first-place votes to top the poll. Mercy received one first-place vote to check in at second in the poll with 27 points. The preseason ranking is the highest for the Mavericks since 2018 when they were picked in a tie for first. St. Thomas Aquinas' Eliana Raposo and Sarah Clancy were named the conference's Preseason Player and Pitcher of the Year.

Head Coach Jaime Lorenzo and the Mavericks went 14-28 overall and 8-12 in ECC play last season, qualifying for the ECC Tournament for the fourth straight season. Mercy earned the No. 4 seed in the ECC Tournament last season and fell to No. 1 seed Molloy before falling to No. 3 seed Queens in their final game of the season.

Leading the returners for the Mavericks is sophomore Averi Miller who hit .336 last season with 30 RBI, 46 hits, 24 runs, eight doubles and eight stolen bases. Miller ranked second on the team in RBI and third in doubles last season. Also, returning is sophomore Allison Murphy who hit .299 with a single-season school record 25 stolen bases last season with 11 RBI and a team-high 31 runs scored. Sophomore Dylan Reyer returns after hitting .308 with 19 stolen bases, 11 RBI and 21 runs scored. Junior Mackayla Secoda returns in the circle after going 6-7 last season with a team-best 3.57 ERA in 94.0 innings with 45 strikeouts.

Lorenzo and the Mavericks open their 2025 season on Saturday, March 1st when they play at Bloomfield for a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m.