PAC Release

TRAFFORD, Pa. -- After finishing in a three-way tie for first place and earning the No. 2 seed in last year's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) tournament, the Allegheny College softball team was voted No. 1 in the 2025 PAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Last spring, Allegheny posted a 15-5 record against conference opponents, tying Westminster College and Geneva College for first place in the standings. After sorting out the tiebreakers, the Gators received the No. 2 seed in the PAC tournament, where they posted wins over Bethany College and Grove City College before falling to Waynesburg University in an elimination game. 

Heading into 2025, however, the Gators – who return almost their entire starting lineup and pitching staff – were picked to finish atop the leaderboard. The Blue and Gold earned six first-place votes and 93 total points in the preseason rankings. In second place, Westminster received two first-place votes and 88 points. Waynesburg earned the remaining first-place votes and finished third in the poll with 81 points. Geneva and Grove City rounded out the top five with 77 and 65 points, respectively.

It's the first time the Gators were predicted to win their conference since Allegheny was picked first by coaches in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) ahead of the 2009 campaign.

In addition to the preseason poll, the PAC released its Players to Watch for 2025. The list included five returning All-PAC selections from Allegheny, including the 2024 Pitcher of the Year, Aleya Belardinelli (Melbourne, Fla./West Shore). Fellow first-team honorees Olivia Devries (Kent, Ohio/Field) and Samantha Phillips (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) were recognized alongside second-team picks Sofia Genareo (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern Central) and Madison Hulse (San Diego, Calif./Rancho Bernardo).

Led by head coach Beth Curtiss in her 13th season, the Gators will kick off 2025 in Winter Haven, Florida, on Sunday, March 2. Allegheny faces Bluffton University at 9:00 a.m. and Bridgewater College at 11:15 a.m. in a non-traditional doubleheader.