RICHMOND, Va. -- The University of Delaware softball team was picked seventh in the 2010 Colonial Athletic Association Preseason Coaches Poll announced by the conference this week.

Towson, which received 45 points and four first-place votes, was picked to capture the league title, while Hofstra was selected second with 43 points and two first-place votes. Defending league champion James Madison was picked third with 40 points and the other two first-place votes, while Georgia State was selected fourth with 30 points.

Drexel was picked fifth with 25 points, while UNC Wilmington (19) was sixth, the Blue Hens (13) were seventh, and George Mason (9) was eighth.

Delaware, which will be led by 30th-year head coach B.J. Ferguson, returns seven starters and welcomes seven newcomers for the 2010 season. The Blue Hens went 21-18 overall last year and finished fifth in the conference standings with a 7-9 league mark.

UD will be led by junior third baseman Michelle Grap, a second team All-CAA selection last season after she batted .306 with 34 hits and a team-high 20 runs batted in. Senior outfielder Cecile Egan (at right), a co-captain along with Grap, returns after hitting .261 with 12 hits and seven RBI. Senior first baseman Michelle Kenney, who batted .255 with 27 hits and 18 RBI a year ago, and sophomore outfielder Rachel Jones, who hit .253 with 22 hits and 14 RBI, also return to pace the Blue Hen attack.

Sophomore Amanda Stacevicz, who went 10-9 with a 2.89 ERA during her freshman campaign, will lead the Delaware pitching staff, along with junior Anne Marie Pagano, who went 11-8 with a 4.07 ERA during the 2009 season.

Delaware opens its 2010 campaign on Friday, February 19 when the Blue Hens face UNC Greensboro and the host Tar Heels at the Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C. Delaware hosts UMBC in a doubleheader on March 9 in its home opener, and opens CAA action with a home weekend series against Hofstra on March 27-28.

2010 Colonial Athletic Association Softball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Towson - 45 (4)
2. Hofstra - 43 (2)
3. James Madison - 40 (2)
4. Georgia State - 30
5. Drexel - 25
6. UNC Wilmington - 19
7. Delaware - 13
8. George Mason - 9