Central Islip, N.Y. – On the heels of a program record 47 wins and a second straight ECC Championship, the Molloy College Lions have been selected as the preseason favorite in the ECC Softball coaches' preseason poll. The preseason awards have a familiar look as last season's Player of the Year, junior Nicole Hagenah (Commack, N.Y.) of LIU Post, and the 2012 ECC Pitcher of the Year, senior Kelley Jansen (Long Beach, N.Y.) of Molloy, were voted as the Preseason Player and Pitcher of the Year respectively.
In addition to their second straight ECC Championship, Molloy also advanced to the NCAA East Region Super Regional, falling one game short of a second trip to the NCAA Division II World Series in three seasons. Ten players are back from a year ago, including All-Conference selections Megan Butterworth, Jeana Frey, and Nicolette Sinagra. The Lions have also started this season in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Preseason Top 25 poll, coming in at No. 23.
LIU Post is a close second in the poll, receiving three first place votes to Molloy's five. The Pioneers made their 11th straight appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament a season ago and finished the 2012 campaign with a 37-22 mark. Dowling College rounds out the top three.
For the second straight year, Hagenah takes home the Preseason Player of the Year honor. Hagenah would go on to earn the post-season Player of the Year honor, earning her second major ECC award in as many years after being named the conference's Rookie of the Year in 2011. Also a two-time NFCA All-American, Hagenah ranked among the top-ten in the conference in every offensive category, finishing with a .371 batting average, 54 runs, 11 homeruns, and 48 RBI.
Senior Kelley Jansen of Molloy has been selected as the 2013 Preseason Pitcher of the Year after earning the post-season award in 2012. Jansen made 38 appearances, totaling 210.1 innings pitched, and finished with a record of 25-9. She compiled a whopping 325 strikeouts to lead the ECC and finished second with a 1.66 earned run average. Her strikeout total placed her in the top-five in all of Division II in total strikeouts and strikeouts per seven innings (10.8). In addition to being named the conference's top pitcher, Jansen also was named a Daktronics Honorable Mention All-American and earned a spot on the Daktronics and NFCA All-Region First Team.
2013 East Coast Conference Softball Preseason Poll
| Team | Pts. |
| 1. Molloy (5) | 61 |
| 2. LIU Post (3) | 59 |
| 3. Dowling | 47 |
| 4. Queens | 33 |
| 5. Mercy | 32 |
| 6. NYIT | 22 |
| 7. Bridgeport | 20 |
| 8. St. Thomas Aquinas | 14 |
( ) - first place votes
Preseason Player of the Year: Nicole Hagenah, Jr., SS, LIU Post
Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Kelley Jansen, Sr., Molloy
