WALTHAM, Mass. – Junior infielder Catie Noons (North Dighton/Dighton Rehoboth Reg. HS) and two seniors from New Hampshire, outfielder Kelsey Kennedy (Bedford, N.H./Bedford HS) and pitcher Kelsey Smith (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant HS), will serve as captains of the 2017 Bentley University softball team, coach Terry M. Prouty announced.

Noons, a two-year starter at second base, begins her third collegiate season with a .294 career average and only ten errors in 228 chances for a .956 fielding percentage. Last year, she batted .264 with her 29 hits including five doubles and a triple. Noons drove in 12 runs and scored 13 for the Falcons.

That followed an outstanding freshman campaign in which Noons hit .333 with a .517 slugging percentage and a .982 fielding percentage.

Kennedy was a third-team All-Northeast-10 selection last spring after posting a team-best .363 average  and also leading the team in hits (37), runs (15), doubles (9), total bases (51), slugging (.500) and on base percentage (.414). She also tracked down 44 balls in left field without an error.

Kennedy will enter this season with a .295 career average after improving on her sophomore year performance by 105 points.

Smith, a left-hander and the most experienced returning pitcher, finished 2016 with a 5-4 record and a 2.80 ERA in 60 innings of work during 17 appearances. During her eight starts, she pitched to a 1.89 ERA and allowed two or less earned runs seven times.

Smith owns the third best career winning percentage (.636) in program history with her 14-8 record including a tally of 6-2 as a sophomore.

Bentley, 14-21 last spring, will open its 2017 season Saturday afternoon against 11-5 Missouri-St. Louis, the first of 11 games the Falcons will play over a seven-day span in the Clermont, Fla. area.