Springfield, Mass. – March 31, 2026 – For the first time since the 2017 season, the Springfield College softball team has been recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) as the Pride was one of 31 teams receiving votes in this week's national coaches poll.

Under the direction of first-year head coach Sam Garcia, Springfield softball is off to a 10-3 start and has picked up wins over a pair of nationally-ranked programs in Williams College and Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The Pride are one of six programs to appear in this week's poll as Tufts is ranked 10th, Husson is 20th and Springfield, Colby College, Westfield State and WPI are all receiving votes.

This season, Springfield is led offensively and in the pitching circle by senior Amelia DeRosa (Miller Place, N.Y.). DeRosa currently ranks sixth nationally in Division III in active career hits as she has 214 to her name, which puts her fourth all-time in program history. This season alone, DeRosa owns a .522 batting average with 24 hits, six doubles, a triple and 18 RBI. She is 6-2 in the circle and owns a 2.57 earned run average. Madison King (Burlington, Mass.) and Reilly Hunter (Wallingford, Conn.) sit right behind DeRosa on the batting charts with averages of .381 and .375. In fact, eight Springfield student-athletes own a batting average of .300 or higher this season.

Springfield (10-3, 2-0 NEWMAC) has six games this week including a non-conference doubleheader at Western New England University tomorrow and a pair of NEWMAC twinbills at Clark University on Friday at 3:00pm and home against Wellesley College on Saturday at noon.

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