Owls Softball Picked Sixth in Preseason Poll

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. –The Temple softball team has been picked to finish sixth in 2010 in the 11 team Atlantic 10 conference. The voting, conducted by the league's head coaches, was announced today by the league office. The Owls came one win short of making the playoffs last season, going 6-8 in A-10 play.

After winning its fifth straight Atlantic 10 championship and 21st overall in 2009, Massachusetts has been selected to win the 2010 Atlantic 10 softball title.

Charlotte, the 2009 regular season runner-up, is picked to finish second, followed by Fordham, Saint Louis and Saint Joseph's.

Temple is picked to finish one spot higher than its 2009 seventh-place spot, followed by St. Bonaventure, George Washington, Dayton, La Salle and Rhode Island, respectively.

The Owls, under the direction of second-year head coach Joe DiPietro, look to improve on their 15-25 overall record from a year ago.

Senior Krystle Metzler leads the team after a solid junior campaign which saw her earn A-10 Academic All-Conference honors. The Owls' starting catcher for all 40 games last season, Metzler sported a .996 fielding percentage behind the plate while catching 12 runners stealing.

The Cherry and White open the season on February 20 when they head to Atlanta for the Georgia State Panther Invitational. First pitch of the season is slated for 10:00 a.m. against East Tennessee State, before the squad takes on the host team at 12:15 p.m.

The six-team, double-elimination A-10 Championship will be held May 12-15 at the University of Massachusetts Softball Complex in Amherst, Mass.

2010 Predicted Order of Finish

(2009 overall/A-10 record in parentheses)

1. Massachusetts (41-10/16-2)

2. Charlotte (33-16/14-4)

3. Fordham (37-22/13-7)

4. Saint Louis (22-33/12-6)

5. Saint Joseph's (27-20/9-7)

6. Temple (15-25/6-8)

7. St. Bonaventure (12-28/9-11)

8. George Washington (16-33/6-14)

9. Dayton (13-34/7-13)

10. La Salle (9-28/7-13)

11. Rhode Island (14-37/3-17)

Temple University Athletics

Owls Softball Picked Sixth in Preseason Poll

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