COLONIA, NJ – With 35 points and five first-place votes, the two-time defending champion St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans have been predicted to win their third ECC Championship this spring, as voted on by by the league’s six head coaches and announced on Thursday morning. Additionally, a pair of STAC Spartans have unanimously earned individual preseason honors as junior pitcher/centerfielder Eliana Raposo (Wareham, MA) was selected the ECC Preseason Player of the Year and graduate student left-hander Sarah Clancy (Chino Hills, CA) was tabbed the ECC Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
Coming off of back-to-back ECC Championship Tournament titles and looking to return to their sixth consecutive ECC postseason, reigning ECC Coach of the Year Kristen Sullivan and her Spartans are expected to win their third consecutive ECC crown this May. St. Thomas Aquinas (34-24, 16-4 ECC) came back to defeat Molloy twice, 3-1 and 8-1, on Championship Saturday last spring, with Clancy winning four games in two days in the circle to earn the tournament's Most Outstanding Player recognition. Capturing the automatic bid, STAC went on to appear in the NCAA East Region Championship.
Reigning ECC Pitcher of the Year and National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-East Region Second Team selection Clancy went 21-12 with a 2.89 ERA last spring, fanning an ECC-leading 172 batters in an ECC-leading 227.1 innings of work. The three-time ECC Pitcher of the Week threw an ECC-leading 27 complete games, which ranked sixth nationally, and made 35 starts, which sat third across all of NCAA Division II.
Reigning ECC Co-Player of the Year and NFCA All-East Region Second Team selection Raposo hit .374 last spring, topping the ECC in RBI (50), ranking second in runs scored (46), doubles (16), triples (4), and homeruns (8), and coming in third in hits (67) and slugging percentage (.642). A two-way player, she excelled defensively in centerfield while also compiling a 3.54 ERA en route to a 13-11 record in the circle, striking out 63 batters in 150.1 innings pitched.
All-ECC First Team 2B Elyse Marcano and UTL Jessica Feerick also return for the Spartans, who earned a share of last year's ECC Regular Season Championship, this spring; Marcano led the ECC in runs scored (47) and triples (6) and ranked second in hits (70) while Feerick excelled as both a third baseman and a catcher in her first season at STAC, finishing second on the squad with 37 RBI.
Selected to finish second this season with 27 points and one first-place vote, Mercy (14-28, 8-12 ECC) is expected to make its fifth consecutive ECC postseason appearance as the Mavs look for their first ECC crown since 2017. Mercy loses one of the most powerful offensive duos in the conference last spring in All-ECC First Team OF Shannon Sisco, who led the ECC in batting average (.423), and All-ECC First Team 1B Samantha Franck, who led the ECC in slugging percentage (.839) and homeruns (18). Averi Miller (.336, 30 RBI) and Allison Murphy (.299, 25 stolen bases) enter the spring as the Mavs’ returning offensive leaders while left-handed pitcher Skylar Brandemarte, a transfer from Stonehill College who struck out 225 batters over three seasons with the Skyhawks, has been added to the rotation.
Looking for its sixth ECC Championship Tournament title in program history this spring, Molloy comes in No. 3 in the preseason poll with 23 points. The Lions earned a share of the ECC Regular Season Championship after finishing 32-24 (16-4 ECC) last spring and went on to reach the ECC Championship Tournament Finals for the third consecutive year. With the loss of the All-ECC veteran trio of Alex Burns, Steph Conrade, and Chrissie Huhn alongside one of last year’s All-ECC First Team pitcher in Sophia Mariottini, returning All-ECC Second Team catcher Cheralyn Dusharme (11 doubles) and All-ECC First Team UTL/P Stevie Dabadie will look to guide Molloy into what would be its 15th ECC postseason appearance in the last 16 seasons; Dabbadie batted .339 and ranked third in the ECC in RBI (42) while making 25 appearances (17 starts) in the circle (47K in 81 innings pitched, 8 wins) and leading the ECC in fielding percentage (.996), committing just one error through 56 games between first base and in the circle.
The Lions reached the NCAA East Region Championship Final last spring, marking their eighth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
Queens is the fourth and final team expected to make the ECC Championship Tournament, totaling 21 points in the preseason voting. The Knights are coming off of a 2024 campaign in which they went 18-27 (10-10 ECC) and made their second straight ECC postseason appearance. Reigning ECC Rookie of the Year Caylea Campbell will pace QC. A complete two-way player, the D2 CCA All-Region First Team Campbell topped the ECC in on base percentage (.493) and doubles (17) and ranked second in batting average (.416) and slugging percentage (.672) at the plate while posting also ranking in the ECC’s top five in innings pitched (3rd, 158.1), strikeouts (3rd, 105), opponent batting average (4th, .285), wins (4th, 12), and ERA (5th, 3.01). All-ECC First Team 3B Emma Zumpol and All-ECC Second Team OF Amanda Baez also return.
D’Youville (11 points) and Staten Island (9 points) round out the poll in the No. 5 and No. 6 spots, respectively.
First-year head coach Shelly Hoerner (Canisius ’96) will take over a D’Youville squad that finished 9-33 overall (3-17 ECC) last spring. Leading the way will be All-ECC Second Team SS Gianna Adamo, who batted .345 with 51 hits - 10 for extra bases - with 23 RBI and 33 runs scored and ranked second in the ECC in both on base percentage (.451) and walks (20).
Led by reigning ECC Co-Player of the Year Aileen Balderas, who boasted a 28-game hitting streak last season, Staten Island (15-31, 7-13 ECC) returns all five of its All-ECC honorees from a year ago in Balderas, First Team DP Olivia Wanser, Second Team 1B Anissa Acosta, and Second Team OFs Mariah Carcano and Amanda Stalker. Balderas (.411) and Wanser (.389) sat third and fourth in the ECC in batting average last spring, with Balderas adding top-five numbers in hits (67), doubles (15), slugging percentage (.589), on base percentage (.443), and runs scored (43) and Wanser ranking top-five in doubles (16) and RBI (39). The Dolphins also return Kennedie Ruth in the circle; Ruth picked up nine wins and a 3.77 ERA while holding her opposition to a .276 batting average, which ranked third in the league, last spring.
2025 ECC Softball Preseason Poll
1. St. Thomas Aquinas - 35 points (5 first-place votes)
2. Mercy - 27 points (1 first-place vote)
3. Molloy - 23 points
4. Queens - 21 points
5. D’Youville - 11 points
6. Staten Island - 9 points
2025 ECC Preseason Player of the Year
Eliana Raposo, Jr., RHP/CF, St. Thomas Aquinas
2025 ECC Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Sarah Clancy, Gr., LHP, St. Thomas Aquinas