LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Lock Haven University softball team will enter the 2009 season in a very familiar place.

LHU head coach Kelley Green and her Lady Eagles enter the fresh season as the top ranked team in all of NCAA Division II softball.

Lock Haven will be looking for its second national championships in four year and has been picked to win the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Central Division. The Haven received all five first-place votes in the PSAC Preseason Softball Coaches Poll. LHU is playing the newly added Central Division, as the conference has moved to three divisions because of the additions of Gannon and Mercyhurst Universities to the PSAC.

The Lady Eagles enter ’09 as the favorites to win it all and they certainly have the resume to back it up.

They’ll be led by a tremendous senior class that’s gone 157-17 over the last three seasons. Lock Haven’s tremendous record over the three year stretch accounts for a .902 winning-percentage.

The Lady Eagles will travel to the Aloha State to kick off the 2009 season.

LHU is set to take on the University of Hawaii at Hilo on Saturday, Feb. 28 at noon (PST).

The remaining portion of the 2009 Season Preview is courtesy of Tom Fox, Lock Haven Sports Editor.

- Lofty rankings, goals nothing new for Lady Eagles

Do you really think a preseason No. 1 ranking in Division II softball is going to faze Lock Haven?

Success is expected at the Clinton County institution.

When you win a national title, and nab a second and third-place finish in the last three seasons, would you expect anything less?

Head coach Kelley Green doesn't.

"With the team that we are expecting to have this year, we do have pretty lofty goals. I think anything less than a national championship will be a disappointment for us," Green said. "That's a good place to be, but it also puts a lot of pressure on everyone. We are trying to relieve that pressure by just going out and having fun. We have a lot of confidence that we have the talent. We have to play hard, and play relaxed."

Lock Haven, a season removed from a 49-8 finish and third in the final Division II rankings, returns nine starters.

Amanda Roosa and Sarah Norris were All-Americans.

Shortstop Ilia Lopez, fully recovered from an injury, was the 2007 PSAC West Player of the Year. Outfielder Julia Popovich was a 2007 NFCA All-Region selection.

By the way, a pitcher by the name of Kristin Erb is still at Lock Haven. If you need a reminder, she's probably one of the best pitchers, if not the best, to ever throw at the Division II level. She also re-wrote the school's softball record book. The scary part is that Green mentioned how Erb learned several new pitches in the offseason to go along with that deadly fastball and change-up.

The entire senior class of Erica Eisenbise, Erb, Popovich, Lopez, Roosa, Jess Jeffries, Nancy O'Connor and Norris, which could be considered the greatest class in any sport at the university with the success they've had returns.

The key, according to Green, is they never quit.

"They are a hard-working group that wants it," the LHU head coach said. "They have the drive that's second to none. They want to get better, and they want to win. They have a passion for the game. The chemistry is unbelievable. They've been a huge part of our team for the past four years. They come ready. They bring it every single day to practice, games and off the field.

"No one can slack off when you see All-Americans working as hard as anyone else. These are some of the top players in the nation, and our younger girls see that strong work ethic. It just trickles down through everyone else. It makes our team even stronger."

Really, there isn't a weak position on the field for the Lady Eagles.

Roosa, who batted .352 and crushed 13 homers and 61 RBI, is behind the plate. Krystin Montoro, Brittany Muthard and Clearfield graduate Brittany Pataky will share the duties at first, while Amanda Gutmaker and Meredith Morris are in a battle to secure second base.

Lopez and Norris, two possible All-Americans in 2009, will be at short and third, respectively. While Green admits she is a little thin at third base, she has a good freshman back-up at short in Susquehannock's Erin Clary, who the LHU head coach considers the "shortstop of the future."

In the outfield is Popovich , the Lady Eagles' lead-off hitter that batted .272 with 47 hits last season - O'Connor and Eisenbise. Also expected to see time is Dianna McMullan, Chelsea Reish and Kirsten Labant.

Jogging to the circle will be Erb. With a resume that can drain an entire ink cartridge if printed off, the senior was the Daktronics All-American Pitcher of the Year, NFCA Pitcher of the Year, PSAC Pitcher of the Year, the 2006 Honda Award winner for top female athlete in Division II, among others.

Last season, Erb was 43-8 with an 0.26 ERA. She had 420 strikeouts and 29 complete-game shutouts. In the playoffs, only two teams, Bloomsburg and Humboldt State scored runs on her as she had eight shutouts in 11 games.

Jeffries and Popovich are also expected to see some innings in back-up of Erb.

"Since this senior group came in as freshmen, they've handled the pressure so well. They handle adverse situations well, and they are such a strong group mentally," Green said. "They are just mentally tough, which is important at this level. We certainly have the leadership to handle it."

This season, the PSAC will have three divisions as Lock Haven is now a member of the Central Division along with Bloomsburg, Mansfield, Clarion and Indiana.

The postseason will also have a different feel to it as well. Instead of an eight-team NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, it will be split into two, four-team double-elimination tournaments with the two winners going into a Super Regional for a best-of-three series.

It's similar to the postseason used in Division I.

"I think it cuts down on travel, missed class time for the athletes, and it also saves some money," Green said of the new PSAC. "It would have been tough to play three different dates in Erie. Our conference is starting earlier. It was a move that had to be made, and it helps the schedule as well.

"The Super Regional is an exciting series. I think it worked out in Division I. It's going to be a good thing. You will get a true champion in a three-game series. That's one of the reasons why Division I likes it so much. It favors the better team. It makes it tougher for the underdog because they have to get you twice."

The NCAA Division II World Series returns back to Salem, Va. this season. Ironically, the last time a championship was held there was when Lock Haven won the title back in 2006.

Yet, Green and the girls know the road isn't going to be easy.

Bloomsburg, Kutztown and California will have something to say about it first.

"We are excited, but at the same time, we respect our opponents and how improved they are," Green said. "It gets tougher every year to get through the conference and regionals. We know that. And a lot of our starters have been playing for four years, so the teams are familiar with them. They've learned a lot about Erb.

"We are focused on our goal, and the seniors are making sure of that. Certainly, we are confident. But we won't underestimate anyone or anything. Our being picked as favorite motivates Kutztown, Bloomsburg, Cal and those schools."

The Lady Eagles' first home game, weather permitting, is March 28 against Mercyhurst.