PISCATAWAY, NJ - The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have been selected 12th in the BIG EAST Softball Preseason Poll, the league announced today.

Rutgers received 11 points to place 12th in the preseason poll. BIG EAST newcomer DePaul led all schools with 115 points and eight first-place votes, followed by defending BIG EAST Conference regular-season champion Notre Dame (108, two first-place vote). USF finished in third place with 102 points and two first-place votes, while Louisville finished in fourth place with 95 points, followed by Syracuse in fifth (78), Seton Hall in sixth (68) and Villanova in seventh (65).

Rounding out the preseason ballot was Pittsburgh in eighth place with 47 points, St. John’s in ninth with 38, Connecticut in 10th (37) and Providence in 11th (28).

The Scarlet Knights will open their 2006 season in Burlington, NC, at the Elon Tournament on Feb. 24-26.

2006 BIG EAST Softball Preseason Poll

2005 Records 2005 Finish

School Points Overall BIG EAST Regular Season

1. DePaul (8) 115 45-19 -- --

2. Notre Dame (2) 108 46-15 16-2 1st

3. USF (2) 102 42-28 -- --

4. Louisville 95 43-20 -- --

5. Syracuse 78 28-22 11-7 3rd

6. Seton Hall 68 34-15 15-3 2nd

7. Villanova 65 38-25 10-8 4th

8. Pittsburgh 47 23-29 8-8 5th

9. St. John’s 38 20-30-1 6-10 8th

10. Connecticut 37 20-25 8-10 6th

11. Providence 28 33-20 5-13 9th

12. RUTGERS 11 5-43 1-15 10th

( ) – First-place votes in parentheses