Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University softball team was selected to finish third in the Northeast Conference (NEC) in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by each of the league's head coaches and announced by the league Wednesday afternoon.
 
Central Connecticut State, with five first-place votes, took the first spot, while LIU Brooklyn, with four first-place nods, finished second in the voting.
 
The last time that RMU was slotted third in a preseason poll came in 2011, a year that saw the Colonials win their first of three consecutive NEC regular-season titles.
 
Robert Morris returns nearly every significant contributor from their squad a year ago, including each of their four NEC postseason award winners.
 
Junior Nicole Sleith (Smithton, Pa. / Yough) earned her second straight NEC Pitcher of the Year award in 2013, becoming the first Colonial ever to win that award more than once. Sleith led the squad in wins (17) and ERA (1.73) while leading the league and ranking among the top 30 nationally in strikeouts per seven innings (8.5) and hits allowed per seven innings (4.56). She also topped the conference in opponents' batting average (.180) by lowering her freshman-year mark by 40 points.
 
A pair of sophomores in Ashley Gerhart (Imperial, Pa.  / West Allegheny) and Haileigh Stocks (Jamison, Pa. / Central Bucks South) will each look to build off award-winning freshman campaigns.
 
Gerhart was named NEC Rookie of the Year as well as an All-NEC First Team selection in the outfield in 2013. She led the team in batting average (.347), hits (50), on-base percentage (.424) and walks (19). She also scored 28 runs, second on the squad, and notched a streak of 16 consecutive games in which she reached base safely, the team's longest of 2013. Gerhart also improved her slugging percentage to .597 in conference contests a year ago.
 
Stocks was an All-NEC First Team honoree at the utility spot in her rookie season as she was one of RMU's top power threats in 2013 and also contributed in the circle. She led the team in slugging percentage (.545), RBI (24) and extra-base hits (17) while just missing the .300 mark in average. She blasted a pair of grand slams on the year, each of which propelled RMU into a lead, while also posting a 2.86 ERA in 10 appearances in the circle.
 
Junior Samantha Santillo (Ellwood City, Pa. / Lincoln) joined Sleith in earning a major NEC award for the second straight year in 2013. Santillo once again won the league's Golden Glove Award, given to its top defensive player. She posted a .994 fielding percentage a season ago and only made one error at her primary position of catcher. Santillo caught six of the 10 opponents that tried to steal against her during NEC play. She also contributed with the bat, hitting .317 during league play in 2013.
 
Senior Geena Badolato (Mt. Lebanon, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon) will be back after serving as a key cog in the RMU rotation in 2013 as she tallied 10 wins while setting career lows in ERA (2.46) and opponents' batting average (.246).
 
Other returning starters for RMU include junior outfielder Tess Apke (Mt. Lebanon, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon), sophomore outfielder Kristen Gabelt (Ligonier, Pa. / Ligonier Valley), sophomore first baseman Lauren Hackett (Glenshaw, Pa. / Shaler Area), senior shortstop Cassie Show (Connellsville, Pa. / Connellsville) and senior third baseman Chelsea Siar (Glenshaw, Pa. / Shaler Area).
 
Apke led the team in total bases (69) and runs scored (29) last year while hitting .295 with 21 RBI. Gabelt batted at a .296 mark in NEC games while starting 38 games in left field. Hackett was the only Colonial to play every game in 2013 and notched 31 hits on the campaign. Show had arguably the strongest defensive season of her career in 2013, anchoring the infield with her strong range. Siar contributed career bests in home runs (seven), RBI (22) and slugging percentage (.444) a year ago while making 40 starts at third base.
 
Robert Morris also has three freshmen on its roster this year who will be incorporated into the mix.
 
Bryant, Fairleigh Dickinson, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis, Mount St. Mary's and Wagner rounded out the poll in spots four through nine, respectively.
 
RMU opened its season this past weekend and was the only team to post a perfect 4-0 mark at a round-robin tournament hosted by Cleveland State. The Colonials will be challenged this weekend as they will play four games against teams that made the 2013 NCAA Tournament, including two meetings with 11-time national champion UCLA.