NORTH BOSTON, N.Y. - The La Roche softball program was predicted to finish 7th in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference 2021 Preseason Coaches Poll. Mount Aloysius College, which won each of the previous two AMCC championships, was voted first in the poll. 

Led by head coach Orie Gentile, who enters his 25th season at the helm of LRU softball, the program looks to build on last season's strong start. Before the 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Redhawks were off to their best start in a decade. The team won their first five games and finished with an overall record of 6-1 (.857), the best among all AMCC teams.

Named as "Players to Watch" in the poll for La Roche were infielder Devan Smith (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler) and pitcher Alexa Young (Altoona, PA/Altoona).

Smith started in all seven games in 2020, leading the Redhawks with 13 hits (4th in AMCC). She hit two doubles and eight RBIs (6th in AMCC). In a team-high 25 plate appearances, she never struck out. During the 2018-19 season, Smith ranked first on the team and third in the conference with four triples. She was third on the team that season in hits (31) and doubles (4) and second in slugging percentage (.358).

Young went 4-0 in four starts in 2020. In 29.1 innings pitched in 2020, she allowed just eight earned runs, struck-out 30 batters, allowed only three walks and posted a 1.91 ERA. Her 10.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranked 10th in NCAA D-III and first in the AMCC. In 2018-19, Young pitched 113.2 innings where she struck-out 94 batters (T-3rd in AMCC), walked just 28 and posted a 2.74 ERA in conference play.

La Roche softball is scheduled to play Pitt Bradford in an exhibition game this Saturday, March 20th before opening their season at home in a conference doubleheader vs. Hilbert on Saturday, March 27th at 1:00 p.m.

View the complete 2021 AMCC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll

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