LANCASTER, Pa. – Swarthmore leads a contingent of four teams that received votes for the top spot in the 2023 Centennial Conference Softball Preseason Poll. The Garnet collected five first-place nods and 57 points to narrowly edge Muhlenberg as the preseason favorite in a vote among CC head coaches. 

The defending-champion Mules secured 56 points with two first-place votes to finish second in the poll. Gettysburg also received a pair of first-place votes and totaled 52 points to take third. McDaniel was projected to place fourth with 40 points and the other first-place tally. Washington College (37) finished fifth in the voting as the final projected playoff team. 

Haverford was picked sixth with 31 points, followed by Dickinson (22), Ursinus (15) and Franklin & Marshall (14). 

Two CC teams began their campaigns this week, with the majority set to open play in early March. Centennial Conference play is set to begin on Saturday, Apr. 1 and continue through the end of the April. The five-team Centennial Tournament will take place May 2-4-6-7, with the top seed hosting the championship weekend on May 6-7. 

2023 Schedule | 2022 Results | 2022 Statistical Leaders | 2022 All-Centennial Team 

The 2022 Centennial Conference softball season ended in the most dramatic way imaginable - an extra-inning walk-off home run to win the conference title. Sarah Karmazyn's walk-off slam in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted Muhlenberg to a 3-2 triumph over top-seeded Swarthmore, giving the Mules their sixth overall CC crown and first since 2011. 

The Mules went on to represent the Centennial in the NCAA Tournament and went 1-2 at the regional tournament. Muhlenberg opened with a loss to Tufts before bouncing back with a win over Cabrini. Rowan then knocked out the Mules in the regional semifinals. 

A number of talented players return to the diamond this spring in the Centennial with eight National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region and 28 All-Centennial players set to play again this spring. All-Region returners include Gettysburg's Olivia Moser (2021 & 2022 third team), the lone two-time All-Region selection of the group, Swarthmore's Meg Ozawa (2022 first team), Olivia McClammy (2022 first team) and Alexandra Simon (2022 second team), F&M's Alexa Klepper (2022 first team), Haverford's Abby Marquis (2022 first team), Muhlenberg's Gillian Zach (2022 second team), and Washington College's Lexi Barnhart (2021 third team). 

All nine CC teams welcome back at least one all-star. Gettysburg leads the way with seven, followed by Swarthmore (5), McDaniel (4), Washington College (4), Haverford (3), Dickinson (2), F&M (1), Muhlenberg (1) and Ursinus (1). Two-time All-CC returners include Gettysburg's Moser, Jess Campana and Giovanna Komst, Washington College's Alyssa Vieira and McDaniel's Paytyn Hazelton. 

Each of the last two CC Pitchers of the Year are also back this spring - Swarthmore's Ozawa (2022 CC Pitcher of the Year) and Washington College's Barnhart (2021 CC Pitcher of the Year). In addition to Moser, Campana and Komst, returning all-stars for the Bullets are Allegra DeCandia (2022 second team), Lauren O'Leary (2022 honorable mention), Megan Hughes (2021 first team), and Jasmin Herrera (2021 honorable mention). Ozawa, McClammy, and Simon were each first team selections for Swarthmore in 2022, while Kate Hart and Maya Estrera collected second team accolades last spring. Simon was also named CC Rookie of the Year in 2022. 

McDaniel's quartet of players with All-CC experience includes Hazelton (2022 honorable mention & 2021 second team), Evie Craig (2022 second team), Isabella Sylvester (2022 honorable mention) and Makayla Calamita (2021 first team). Returners for Washington College include Vieira (2022 first team & 2021 second team), Barnhart (2021 first team), Lexie Witmer (2022 honorable mention) and Hannah Solge (2021 honorable mention). Haverford's trio of returning all-stars are led by 2022 first-teamers Marquis and Misa Kessinger along with Carley Parsons, who collected honorable mention laurels last spring. Dickinson's Celia Vinacco (2022 first team) and Riley Kuehn (2022 second team) are back for the Red Devils, while F&M's Klepper (2022 second team), Muhlenberg's Zack (2022 honorable mention) and Ursinus' Alexis Miller (2021 second team) represent their respective squads as returning All-CC players. 

2023 Centennial Conference Softball Preseason Poll