For the first time in program history, the St. Thomas Aquinas College Softball team is ranked among the top NCAA Div. II teams in the East.
The Spartans are ranked 9th in the first weekly East Region poll that includes 36 teams from the Northeast 10, East Coast Conference and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. It marks the first time that STAC has been ranked regionally since joining the NCAA in 2001.
STAC currently currently holds a 19-15 overall record and is in second place in the ECC with a 10-6 mark. St. Thomas Aquinas is seeking to earn its first ECC post-season bid since 2006. The top four teams in the ECC compete in postseason play that begins on May 3. The Spartans were picked to finish last in the pre-season ECC poll, released before the start of the season.
“This is a major step for our program,” said STAC Head Coach Kristen Sullivan. “This team has invested a lot of time into becoming competitive at a very high level. My first recruiting class was the eight seniors on this team so we’ve done this all together. We still have a lot of work to do this season, but this ranking is validation that coaches are recognizing the talent that we’ve assembled here.”
The regional ratings are used to determine the eight teams selected to compete in the East Region, which awards bids to the post-season tournament champions in the NE-10, ECC and CACC and five at-large teams. The East Region tournament is scheduled May 9-11 with the winner going to the Super Regional on May 16-17. The NCAA Division II National Championship tournament is scheduled for May 23-27 in Denver, Colorado.
NCAA Softball East Region Rankings (Through games played April 14, 2019)
- So. New Hampshire: 32-6
- LIU Post: 34-8
- Wilmington (Del.): 28-12
- Saint Anselm: 26-8
- Georgian Court: 36-5
- Adelphi: 20-15
- New Haven: 24-10
- Caldwell: 22-16
- St. Thomas Aquinas: 19-15
- Dominican (N.Y.): 17-16