LANCASTER, Pa. – Gettysburg earned top billing in the annual Centennial Conference (CC) preseason softball poll.

The Bullets garnered 64 points with all possible eight first-place votes. Swarthmore was second with 53 points, edging Muhlenberg with 50 points.

The Orange and Blue return seven returning position players, including three first-team All-CC selections.
Audrey Bergan (Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Calif./La Jolla Country Day School) and Carlie Goldstein (Verona, N.J./Verona) were two of the top three hitters on the squad last season. Bergan – the first-team utility player – hit a team-best .374 with 49 hits that included five doubles. She paced the squad with 34 runs and added 13 RBIs. Goldstein – the first-team designated player – hit .349 with a team-best 14 doubles among her 37 hits. She scored 22 runs and drove in a team-best 28. She also had a team-best .528 slugging percentage.

Paige Forry (Reading, Pa./Schuylkill Valley) returns as the two-time defending CC Pitcher of the Year to anchor the staff in the circle. Forry posted a 1.87 ERA in 24 appearances. She went the distance 14 times in her 22 starts and threw 142.1 innings in the circle with a 13-7 record to go with three saves. She struck out 110 batters and walked just 23.

Gettysburg opens the season at the NFCA D3 Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. on Friday, Feb. 28-Sunday, Mar. 2. The Bullets play LeTourneau and Tufts on Friday at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.