NEWTON, Mass. (3/4/15) - As voted upon by the 10 head softball coaches of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, the Lasell College softball team was elected 11th in the annual preseason poll.
Saint Joseph's College of Maine captured the top seed with 10 first-place votes and 141 points overall. Simmons College grabbed the second spot with one first-place vote and 130 points, while the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) placed third with 110 points and one first-place tally.
The squad will look to get a fresh start this season, appointing a new coaching staff. Head coach Rich Paulhus joins the Lasers after spending 15 years in Framingham State University softball program. During his stint at FSU, Paulhus grabbed a championship title with one NCAA appearance. Paulhus picked up his 100th career victory on April 23rd, 2008 as the Rams defeated Brandeis University by a score of 5-2. Paulhus is only fourth head coach in any sport at Framingham State to achieve the 100 win milestone with the Rams.
Joining Coach Paulhus is his assistant coach, Jeff Anderson. Anderson served three years as the assistant pitching coach for the Rams, and will bring his knowledge from the mound to the softball program at Lasell.
The Lasers will open the 2015 season with their annual spring training trip, taking on Nichols College in Fort Meyers, Fla. at 9:00 a.m.
2015 GNAC Softball Preseason Poll Results
1. Saint Joseph's of Maine (10) - 141
2. Simmons (1) - 130
3. Saint Joseph (Conn.) (1) - 110
4. Suffolk - 95
T5. Johnson & Wales - 89
T5. Norwich - 89
T7. Albertus Magnus - 71
T7. Emmanuel - 71
9. Mount Ida - 49
10. Rivier - 40
11. Lasell - 37
12. Anna Maria – 14