Mount Aloysius College repeated as conference champions a season ago, and AMCC coaches expect the Mounties to finish at the top of league standings again in 2020. Penn State Behrend is expected to finish in second, with 2019 AMCC runner-up Franciscan University rounding out the top three.

Mount Aloysius junior 1B/C Lydia DeFazio has been named the AMCC Preseason Player of the Year. DeFazio was the 2019 AMCC Player of the Year after leading the conference with a .586 batting average. She got on base two out of every three times and slugged over 1.000. DeFazio hit seven homeruns and drove in 25 in conference play. She finished her overall season with .479 avg, nine homeruns, 44 RBIs, and a .557 OBP, all tops in the AMCC.

Medaille College senior P Laura Kratzke has been selected as the AMCC Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Kratzke was an AMCC second team all-conference selection in 2019. She batted .317 at the plate, while also recording a 2.63 ERA and striking out 130 batters in 114 innings. Kratzke is a three-time all-conference player and was the 2018 Player of the Year

The AMCC tournament will be held May 1-3 at the site of the #1 seed, with the winner earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Click here for the complete preseason rankings and players to watch.