Army West Point Athletics
Army Tabbed Fourth in Preseason Poll
January 31, 2019 | Softball
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The Army West Point softball team was picked to finish fourth in the Patriot League Preseason poll, which was released Thursday.
Boston U., the reigning Patriot League champions, were selected to finish first with 72 points and 12 of the 14 first-place votes. Lehigh and Bucknell tied for second place in the poll with 56 points each, while the Mountain Hawks claimed the final two first-place nods.
Holy Cross rounded out the top five with 30 points, while Colgate's 23 points placed itself sixth ahead of Lafayette who earned 11 points.
Army also landed three cadet-athletes on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team in senior Carrie Reilly, junior Emily Ballesteros and sophomore Taylor Drayton. The Black Knights tied with the Boston U. for the most players on the preseason all-league squad with three, while Bucknell and Lehigh each earned two honorees.
Reilly was named to the All-Patriot League First Team a season ago after posting a breakout season. The Riverside, Ill., native started in 51-of-53 games as a junior last season, contributing 52 hits, 28 RBI, 25 runs scored, 10 doubles, three triples and four home runs. She compiled a batting average of .347 with an on-base percentage of .427 and ranked inside the Patriot League's top-10 in the following categories: average, slugging percentage, hits, RBI, doubles, triples, home runs and walks.
Ballesteros returns to the Banks of the Hudson for her third season after starting all 54 games at the hot corner last season. The Chino Hills, Calif., native earned her first postseason honor from the league in 2018 when she was named to the all-league second team. She totaled 49 hits, 20 runs scored, 19 RBI and six doubles on the year, while earning the fourth-most walks in the Patriot League with 22 free passes.
Drayton was also named to the All-Patriot League Second Team last season after documenting an impressive freshman campaign. The Clayton, N.C., native played in 48 games, making 41 starts on the year. She saw action as a pitcher, outfielder, second baseman and designated player. At the plate, Drayton compiled a .301 average, going 40-for-133 with 22 RBI, 13 runs scored, eight doubles and two home runs. She also made two appearances in the circle, pitching 4.0 innings without allowing an earned run and striking out one.
Voting for the Patriot League baseball preseason major awards, all-League squad and poll were conducted by League head coaches and sports information directors. Neither group was permitted to vote for their own team or student-athletes.
For more information on Army West Point softball, visit GoArmyWestPoint.com and follow @ArmyWP_Softball on Twitter and Instagram.
PATRIOT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
1. Boston U. – 72 points (12 first-place votes)
T-2. Lehigh – 56 points (2)
T-2. Bucknell – 56 points
4. Army West Point – 44 points
5. Holy Cross – 30 points
6. Colgate – 23 points
7. Lafayette – 11 points
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PRESEASON PATRIOT LEAGUE MAJOR AWARDS
Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Ali DuBois, Boston U., So., P
Preseason Player of the Year: Alex Heinen, Boston U., Sr., C
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PRESEASON ALL-PATRIOT LEAGUE TEAM
INF – Emily Ballesteros, Army West Point (Jr.)
P/DP – Taylor Drayton, Army West Point (So.)
INF – Carrie Reilly, Army West Point (Sr.)
P – Ali DuBois, Boston U. (So.)
C – Alex Heinen, Boston U. (Sr.)
INF – Madi Killebrew, Boston U. (Sr.)
P – Raeanne Geffert, Bucknell (Jr.)
INF – Lauren Hadley, Bucknell (Sr.)
C/UTIL – Virginia Irby, Colgate (Jr.)
OF – Jackie Brewster, Holy Cross (Sr.)
P – Parker Boyd, Lehigh (Jr.)
INF – Mary-Hannah Smith, Lehigh (Jr.)
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Boston U., the reigning Patriot League champions, were selected to finish first with 72 points and 12 of the 14 first-place votes. Lehigh and Bucknell tied for second place in the poll with 56 points each, while the Mountain Hawks claimed the final two first-place nods.
Holy Cross rounded out the top five with 30 points, while Colgate's 23 points placed itself sixth ahead of Lafayette who earned 11 points.
Army also landed three cadet-athletes on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team in senior Carrie Reilly, junior Emily Ballesteros and sophomore Taylor Drayton. The Black Knights tied with the Boston U. for the most players on the preseason all-league squad with three, while Bucknell and Lehigh each earned two honorees.
Reilly was named to the All-Patriot League First Team a season ago after posting a breakout season. The Riverside, Ill., native started in 51-of-53 games as a junior last season, contributing 52 hits, 28 RBI, 25 runs scored, 10 doubles, three triples and four home runs. She compiled a batting average of .347 with an on-base percentage of .427 and ranked inside the Patriot League's top-10 in the following categories: average, slugging percentage, hits, RBI, doubles, triples, home runs and walks.
Ballesteros returns to the Banks of the Hudson for her third season after starting all 54 games at the hot corner last season. The Chino Hills, Calif., native earned her first postseason honor from the league in 2018 when she was named to the all-league second team. She totaled 49 hits, 20 runs scored, 19 RBI and six doubles on the year, while earning the fourth-most walks in the Patriot League with 22 free passes.
Drayton was also named to the All-Patriot League Second Team last season after documenting an impressive freshman campaign. The Clayton, N.C., native played in 48 games, making 41 starts on the year. She saw action as a pitcher, outfielder, second baseman and designated player. At the plate, Drayton compiled a .301 average, going 40-for-133 with 22 RBI, 13 runs scored, eight doubles and two home runs. She also made two appearances in the circle, pitching 4.0 innings without allowing an earned run and striking out one.
Voting for the Patriot League baseball preseason major awards, all-League squad and poll were conducted by League head coaches and sports information directors. Neither group was permitted to vote for their own team or student-athletes.
For more information on Army West Point softball, visit GoArmyWestPoint.com and follow @ArmyWP_Softball on Twitter and Instagram.
PATRIOT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
1. Boston U. – 72 points (12 first-place votes)
T-2. Lehigh – 56 points (2)
T-2. Bucknell – 56 points
4. Army West Point – 44 points
5. Holy Cross – 30 points
6. Colgate – 23 points
7. Lafayette – 11 points
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PRESEASON PATRIOT LEAGUE MAJOR AWARDS
Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Ali DuBois, Boston U., So., P
Preseason Player of the Year: Alex Heinen, Boston U., Sr., C
Â
PRESEASON ALL-PATRIOT LEAGUE TEAM
INF – Emily Ballesteros, Army West Point (Jr.)
P/DP – Taylor Drayton, Army West Point (So.)
INF – Carrie Reilly, Army West Point (Sr.)
P – Ali DuBois, Boston U. (So.)
C – Alex Heinen, Boston U. (Sr.)
INF – Madi Killebrew, Boston U. (Sr.)
P – Raeanne Geffert, Bucknell (Jr.)
INF – Lauren Hadley, Bucknell (Sr.)
C/UTIL – Virginia Irby, Colgate (Jr.)
OF – Jackie Brewster, Holy Cross (Sr.)
P – Parker Boyd, Lehigh (Jr.)
INF – Mary-Hannah Smith, Lehigh (Jr.)
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