Lady Raider Softball Ranked No. 20 in NFCA Division II Preseason Top 25 Poll
Feb. 1, 2007
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Coming off a 42-20 record a year ago and its fourth-straight appearance in the NCAA Division II Mid-Atlantic Region Championship, the Shippensburg softball team was ranked at No. 20 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II Preseason Top 25 Poll on Wednesday.
The poll is voted on by eight Division II head coaches representing the eight NCAA regions.
Other ranked teams on Shippensburg's 2007 schedule include No. 1 Lock Haven, No. 9 Bloomsburg and No. 25 Massachusetts Lowell. In addition, Wingate, Kutztown and South Carolina-Upstate all received votes for the top 25.
Led by seventh-year head coach Bob Brookens, the Lady Raiders return six starters from a team that finished last season ranked No. 18 in Division II and made its fourth consecutive appearance in the PSAC Softball Championship title game after finishing the regular-season in second-place in the Eastern Division with a 17-7 record.
The Lady Raiders have won over 79-percent of their games over the last four seasons, totaling a 169-45 overall record while winning three PSAC championships and two NCAA Division II Mid-Atlantic Region championships.
In six seasons at Shippensburg, Brookens has a record of 231-85 while leading the Lady Raiders to a No. 3 final national ranking in 2004, a No. 5 final ranking in 2003 and a No. 18 final ranking in 2006.
The Lady Raiders are scheduled to open the 2007 season on Friday, February 23 when they travel to North Carolina for a doubleheader at Elizabeth City State.
- Lady Raider Softball -
