BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bears of Bridgewater State University and the Owls of Westfield State University are the preseason picks to share the 2012 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Softball championship in a vote of the league’s coaches.

Bridgewater State captured three first place votes, while defending conference regular season co-champion Westfield State grabbed two first place votes as each school amassed 52 points in sharing the top spot in the poll.

Defending MASCAC tournament and regular season co-champion Worcester State is in third place with 50 points that includes two first place votes.  Salem State is next in fourth place with 43 points and Framingham State follows in fifth place with 39 points that includes the remaining first place vote. Fitchburg State (25 pts.), MCLA (19 pts.) and Massachusetts Maritime (8 pts.) round out this year’s poll in sixth, seventh and eighth place, respectively.

Under the direction of Head Coach Lori Salvia, the BSU softball team is coming off an 18-23 season in 2011.  The Bears, who were seeded fourth in the MASCAC Tournament with an 8-6 conference mark, upset top-seeded Westfield State in the opening game of the double-elimination tournament before dropping back-to-back decisions to eventual champion Worcester State and Westfield.

Salvia, who is entering her 5th season at the helm, has produced a coaching mark of 93-72 (.564) since joining the Bears in 2008.  Her teams have won two MASCAC regular season and tournament championships, and have made two NCAA Division III Tournament appearances.

Bridgewater is led by returning All-MASCAC selections junior third baseman Jennifer Shaw (Brockton, Mass.), senior first baseman Penny King (Hanover, Mass.), senior outfielder Stephanie Burns (North Attleboro, Mass.) and junior pitcher Megan Dunn (Colchester, Conn.).Shaw slugged her way to a tremendous campaign in 2011 as she batted .394 (37-94) with eight home runs, eight doubles, 28 runs scored and 32 RBI.  A First Team All-New England selection, she also posted a .734 slugging percentage as well as a .448 on base percentage.

King batted .323 (31-96) with three home runs, five doubles, 22 runs scored, 19 RBI and a .469 slugging percentage in 40 games last season.  She also walked 21 times, was hit by a pitch seven times and recorded a .476 on base percentage.

Burns burst onto the scene in her first full season as an everyday player.  In 37 games, she batted .306 (22-72) with 16 runs scored, ten walks, nine stolen bases and a .405 on base percentage.

In 25 appearances in the circle which included 19 starts, Dunn posted a record of 11-8 with a 2.79 earned run average and 90 strikeouts over 145 2/3 innings of work.

Also returning from last year’s lineup are senior second baseman Michaela Ferreira (Fall River, Mass.), junior catcher Brianna Strecker (Waterford, Conn.) and senior center fielder Jordan McDermott (East Bridgewater, Mass.).  Ferreira, Strecker and McDermott are the only members of the team who played in all 41 games a year ago.  Ferreira batted .366 (37-101) with 15 runs, 23 RBI, 21 walks and a .508 on base percentage.  Strecker homered, scored 13 runs, drove in 19 and posted a .264 (32-121) batting average.  McDermott stole a team-leading 12 bases and batted .248 (26-105) with six sacrifice bunts.

Bridgewater opens the season with ten games in Cape Coral and Fort Myers, Florida beginning with a March 3rd contest versus Alverno College.  After returning to New England, the Bears travel to Clark University for a doubleheader with the Cougars on March 16th.  MASCAC play begins on March 31st with BSU traveling to Framingham State University to take on the Rams.