NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Rhode Island College sits atop the 2010 Little East softball preseason coaches’ poll for the second time in program history, according to a vote by the league’s coaches. The Anchorwomen penned six first-place tallies and 62 total points in their ledger to top the 10th annual preseason rankings, four markers ahead of rival Eastern Connecticut State University (58).

The Warriors received the remaining two first place selections to sit comfortably in the second seed, outgaining third place Keene State College by 11 points. Western Connecticut State University totaled 41 points to round out the top half of the eight-team field.

Under the watchful eye of Maria Morin, Rhode Island College advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the fourth straight season as the Little East automatic qualifier. In 2009, the Anchorwomen established a new standard for single-season wins with an overall record of 42-7—marking the second time in the past three years they have eclipsed the 40-win barrier. Morin’s charges earned the program’s fifth consecutive regular-season title after nearly sweeping the conference circuit with a 13-1 mark. Rhode Island College boasted a relentless top-to-bottom lineup, leading the Little East team standings in batting average (.321), hits (425), homeruns (28), runs scored (298), slugging percentage (.467), total bases (617), and triples (20), while ranking second in doubles (68) and on-base percentage (.385). The Anchorwomen will welcome back an astonishing eight All-Little East student-athletes from the 2009 season, including six field players.

Rhode Island College was just as impressive in the pitching circle thanks to its one-two-three punch in the starting rotation. The Anchorwomen led the conference in team earned run average (1.19), opposing batting average (.201), saves (14), strikeouts (307), and walks allowed (64). Junior Amanda Berard (Swansea, Mass.) will handle the lion’s share of innings as the bona fide ace, while also closing out games in relief. The 2009 Little East Pitcher of the Year posted a 16-2 record and 12 saves in 41 appearances. She registered a miniscule 0.53 earned run average with 130 strikeouts to just 19 walks. Rhode Island College opens its 2010 slate at the NTC Spring Games in Clermont, Fla.

Head Coach Diana Pepin guided Eastern Connecticut to its second straight NCAA Division III Tournament appearance, where the Warriors earned the fifth seed in the Mahwah, N.J. Region. Eastern Connecticut eclipsed the 20-win marker for the fourth consecutive season with a 26-13 overall record, including a 10-4 mark in the conference circuit. The Warriors’ used a doubleheader sweep of NCAA-participant Springfield College to spark a strong run down the stretch in the month of April that saw Eastern Connecticut sport a 17-5 record and a 9-1 mark in non-conference games. Pepin will welcome back 11 starters from the 2009 edition, including six starters. Sophomore pitcher Molly Rathbun (Hebron, Conn.) returns to the fold after becoming just the fifth freshman in program history to earn All-America honors and 32nd overall. She ranked among the national leaders in earned run average (5th, 0.79), hits allowed per seven innings (6th, 3.56), strikeouts per seven innings (24th, 9.1), and victories (50th, 16). The Warriors also begin their season at the NTC Spring Games in Clermont, Fla.

Keene State College captured the 2009 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Championship last spring to highlight an impressive 30-14 season. Head Coach Charlie Beach's young team finished tied for second in the Little East Conference with a 10-4 record before advancing to the championship round of the conference tournament. The Owl team returns most of their nucleus in 2010, including offensive stalwart Haley Chandler (Wakefield, Mass.) who batted .383 as a freshman with two home runs and 37 runs batted in. From the circle, Keene State will rely on sophomore pitching ace Courtney Savoie (Stratham, N.H.) who went 13-3 as a rookie with a paltry 1.71 earned run average and 93 strikeouts over a team-high 94 innings of work. The Owls take to the field at Amherst College on March 27 at 12 p.m.

Head Coach Heather Stone guided the Colonials to a 23-19 overall record, while registering an 8-6 mark in the Little East. Western Connecticut was the road warriors of the conference, boasting an impressive 10-2 mark in away games before winning two Little East Tournament contests at Rhode Island College. Junior second baseman Amy Hartman (Ellington, Conn.) returns from a standout season in which she batted at a .357 clip while bashing 30 RBI and a league-leading nine home runs. The Colonials' pitching figures to be anchored by sophomore Magen Dargon (Trumbull, Conn.), whose 12-8 record accounted for over half her team's wins in 2009. Dargon fanned 93 batters last season, while holding opponents to a .236 cumulative batting average.

The Little East sponsors a 14-game, double round-robin conference schedule. The top six teams in the final standings advance to the 2010 Little East Softball Championship, hosted by the top-ranked team. The annual three-day, double elimination tournament is scheduled to begin on Thursday, May 6 with the champion being crowned on Saturday, May 8. The Little East champion earns the automatic qualifier into the 2010 NCAA Division III Tournament.

Completing the annual preseason poll in projected order of finish in the regular season standings are Plymouth State University (30), University of Southern Maine (21), University of Massachusetts Boston (18), and University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (11).