PENN ST. BEHREND TOPS AMCC PRESEASON SOFTBALL POLL

Penn State Behrend, winners of three straight AMCC softball titles, was selected by conference coaches to defend their conference crown. Medaille College and Penn State Altoona, who both tied for second place one year ago, are expected to fill the second and third spots, respectively, in 2018.

Penn State Behrend senior pitcher/infielder Alexa Bupp has been tabbed as the AMCC Preseason Player of the Year. In 2017, Bupp was named the AMCC Player of the Year, an AMCC first team all-conference selection, and was a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) third team all-EastrRegion honoree. She finished the season second on the team in hits (45) and RBIs (32), while leading the squad with 17 doubles. Bupp also finished with a .360 batting average, good for fourth on the team. In the circle, Bupp led the team with a 1.24 ERA in 17 appearances. She tallied four saves and three wins, allowing just six earned runs in 34 innings pitched while striking out 40.

Behrend junior pitcher AJ Nichols was named the Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Nichols was an AMCC first team all-conference selection and a member of the NFCA third team all-East region. Nichols  finished with a team-leading .411 batting average, while ranking first in hits (58), RBIs (34), runs scored (34), and triples (3). On the mound, she tied for most wins in 2017 with 11 and struck out 71 batters. Nichols posted a 2.29 ERA in 20 appearances and posted two shut-out victories.

The AMCC tournament will be held May 4-6 at the site of the #1 seed, with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Click here for the complete preseason rankings and players to watch.