COLONIA, N.J. – The Mercy University Softball Team has been picked to finish third 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. D'Youville received one first-place vote to check in at second in the poll with 29 points. D'Youville's Annie Jorgenson was named Preseason Player of the Year and D'Youville's Summer Clark and Staten Island's Kennedie Ruth have been tabbed Co-Preseason Pitcher of the Year.

Head Coach Jaime Lorenzo and the Mavericks went 23-22 overall and 12-8 in ECC play last season, qualifying for the ECC Championship for the fifth straight season. Mercy earned the No. 2 seed in the ECC Championship last season, earning a win over Molloy before falling to St. Thomas Aquinas and D'Youville. The Mavericks recorded their most wins since 2019 last season and won their first ECC Championship game since 2021.

Leading the returners for the Mavericks is junior Allison Murphy who was named Second Team All-ECC last season after hitting a team-high .353 with 32 RBI, 32 runs, 53 hits and 15 doubles. Junior Dylan Reyer also returns after being named Second Team All-ECC a year ago. Reyer hit .312 with 29 hits, 13 runs, three triples and seven RBI. Junior Averi Miller returns after hitting .261 with 18 RBI, 23 runs and 11 doubles. Returning in the circle is senior Mackayla Secoda who went 4-6 with a 4.09 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 65.0 innings. Sophomore Lauren McSweeney is back after going 6-2 with a 4.67 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 51.0 innings.

Lorenzo and the Mavericks open their 2026 season on Saturday, February 28th when they play at Bloomfield.