PRINCETON, N.J. -- In a league that has shown a continued rise nationally, Columbia was selected to win its first-ever Ivy League title in the 2020 Ivy League Softball Preseason Media Poll.
The Lions – finished 24-21 overall with a 15-6 mark in Ivy play, winning its most league games in program history and finishing second in the final stadnings – received 10-of-16 first-place votes and accumulated 120 points to top the poll.
In search of the program’s first League championship, Columbia will rely heavily on three returning first-team All-Ivy selections in
junior third base
Max Ortega, junior shortstop
Maria Pagane and senior designated player/utility
Sommer Grzybek.
The trio, which helped Columbia to its first Ivy League Playoff Series appearance, was the most All-Ivy honorees in a single season in program history. The Lions - led by reigning Ivy League Coach of the Year
Jennifer Teague – are a combined 24-14 (.667) against League competition over the last two seasons.
Princeton edged Penn, which tallied four first-place votes and 112 points to rank second in the preseason ledger. Penn returns first-team All-Ivy and Ivy League Rookie of the Year
Emma Nedley as well as four of their five All-Ivy recipients from a season ago.
Looking for its third consecutive Ivy League championship and ninth in program history, Harvard sits third in the poll with 91 points and the final two first-place votes. The Crimson - finished 2019 with an overall record of 25-19 after sweeping Columbia in the Ivy League Playoff Series to advance to the NCAA tournament - welcomes back two All-Ivy selections in junior first base
Morgan Melito and sophomore outfielder
Trina Hoang.
Dartmouth is listed fourth with 76 points after finishing the 2019 campaign 13-27 overall and 10-11 in League play. The Big Green is led by Ivy League Player of the Year and unanimous first-team All-Ivy pick
Micah Schroder. Schroder is among 50 student-athletes on the
2020 USA Softball Player of the Year Watch List.
Rounding out the poll were Princeton with 65 points, Yale with 60 points, Brown with 32 points and Cornell with 27 points.
2020 IVY LEAGUE SOFTBALL PRESEASON POLL
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
First-place votes in parentheses
| RANK |
SCHOOL |
POINTS |
| 1. |
Columbia (10) |
120 |
| 2. |
Penn (4) |
112 |
| 3. |
Harvard (2) |
91 |
| 4. |
Dartmouth |
76 |
| 5. |
Princeton |
65 |
| 6. |
Yale |
60 |
| 7. |
Brown |
32 |
| 8. |
Cornell |
27 |