Washington University Softball Cracks NFCA Top-25 Poll at No. 25

NFCA TOP-25 POLL

Louisville, Ky., March 6, 2013 – Off to an 8-0 start for the first time since the 2006 season, the Washington University in St. Louis softball team has cracked the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Top-25 Poll at No. 25, the Association announced Wednesday.

Washington U. opened the 2013 season with four wins at the Rhodes College Lynx Classic in Memphis Feb. 23-24, and followed with four more victories at the Hendrix College Warrior Spring Fling in Conway, Ark., March 2-3. The Bears are 8-0 for the fourth time in school history.

University Athletic Association (UAA) rival Emory University is ranked No. 3 in the latest NFCA top-25 poll, and leads NCAA Division III in victories with a 19-0 record. Washington U. and Emory will square off on March 13 and March 15 at the UAA Championship Tournament in Altamonte Springs, Fla.

The Bears lead the conference with a .364 batting average and have scored 64 runs in the first eight games of the season. Washington U. has five players hitting above .400 heading into its Spring Break trip: freshman Brooke Hofer (.500, six RBIs), junior Maggie Mullen (.500, two HRs, five RBIs), senior Ashley Janssen (.424), junior Kelsey Neal (.400, three HRs, 11 RBIs) and junior Stacy Berg (.400, one HR, 13 RBIs).

Washington University embarks on an 11-day road trip for Spring Break Thursday with six games at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., and eight games at the UAA Championship Tournament. The Bears take on No. 3 ranked University of Texas-Tyler (8-0) Friday, March 8, at 12:30 p.m. (ET) and Husson University (0-0) Friday at 3 p.m. (ET) in the first of 14 games in the South.