WALTHAM, Mass. – With 13 players back from last season's 20-18 club, the Bentley University softball team will make its 2015 debut Saturday afternoon against St. Thomas Aquinas College in the opener of a ten-game trip to the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla.

Heading the list of returnees are juniors Kelly Ferris (Seymour, Conn./Seymour HS) and Alex Borrelli (Salem, N.H./Central Catholic HS), along with the team's only senior, left fielder Shannon Connor (West Haven, Conn./West Haven HS).

Connor, a third-team All-Northeast-10 selection in 2013 and an Academic All-NE-10 honoree a year ago, has led the Falcons in hitting each of the last three seasons. The left-handed hitter, nine hits away from moving into the top ten in program history, is coming off a .315 season that raised her career mark to .310.

The lefty Ferris led the Bentley pitching staff last spring with a 6-3 record, a conference-leading and school-record six saves and an impressive 1.68 ERA in 24 appearances. Her season included a three-hit shutout of Alderson-Broaddus, completing two other shutouts and preventing 14 of 18 inherited runners from scoring.

Borrelli, a fixture at shortstop since her arrival on campus, excelled defensively in 2014 with her fielding percentage of .957 the best by any NE-10 player with at least 80 assists. She led the team in RBI (17) and will be looking to regain the offensive form that saw her hit .313 during 26 games in April 2013.

Borrelli is the only returnee in the infield for coach Michele DeGregorio, who lost a trio of four-year starters to graduation. Potential replacements include junior Morgan Mazone (Selkirk, N.Y./ Bethlehem Central HS) at first, freshman Catie Noons (North Dighton/Dighton-Rehoboth HS) at second and sophomore Kaitlyn Lebreux (Biddeford, Maine/Biddeford HS) at third. Versatile freshman Jordan Ballantyne (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./Arlington HS) and sophomore Liana Ferullo (Winthrop/Winthrop HS) also figure to see action.

Connor will be joined in the outfield by sophomores Kelsey Kennedy (Bedford, N.H./Bedford HS) and Chelsea Vena (Matawan, N.J./Saint John Vianney HS). Vena hit a solid .274 in 34 games last year and Kennedy finished her rookie campaign at .243.

Junior Jill Raia (Montville, N.J./Morristown Beard School) will again be the primary catcher following a 2014 season in which she caught 33 of 38 contests. When she's not behind the dish, junior Natalie Tarantino (Arlington/Arlington HS) will likely get the call, as she did four times in 2014.

In addition to Ferris, DeGregorio will be counting on sophomores Kelsey Smith (Jaffrey, N.H./ Conant HS), Michelle DeVito (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore HS) and Carinn Burns (Kennebunk, Maine/ Kennebunk HS) to contribute from the center circle. Smith held opposing batters to a .240 average last year while winning three of five decisions. DeVito was 2-4 with a 1.83 ERA and a .230 opponents average, and Burns missed all of last season due to injury.

In addition to St. Thomas Aquinas, opponents down in Florida include Bridgeport (twice), Northern State (twice), Ferris State, Millersville, Concordia-St. Paul and Southwest Minnesota State. 

Bentley, picked fifth in the Northeast Division in a preseason poll of Northeast-10 coaches, is scheduled to host Assumption Mar. 18 in its northern and conference opener.