WALTHAM, Mass. – A veteran Bentley University softball team, which also includes promising freshmen and a pair of sophomores who impressed last spring, will open its 2020 season this weekend with the Rollins College Round Robin in Winter Park, Fla.

On Saturday, the Falcons will debut against Queens University (N.C.) at noon and will play the host Rollins Tars at 4 pm. It'll be the same order on Sunday with the Queens game starting at 11 and the Rollins contest following at 1 pm.

Fifth-year head coach Terry A. McDonough returns all of her everyday players from last year's 18-24 team, including senior left fielder Stacey Korotsky (Bridgewater/Bridgewater-Raynham HS). She led the team in hitting the last two seasons, with averages of .328 in 2018 and .318 a year ago.

Korotsky, along with center fielder Juliana Romeo (Greenville, R.I./Smithfield HS) and second baseman Julianne Slavin (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill HS), all have made over 100 career starts. Romeo has a .270 career average and enters the season two hits shy of joining Korotsky and Slavin in Bentley's 100-hit club. Slavin, a graduate student, has a career average is an even .300.

Sophomores Ella Hillier (Tualitin, Ore./Tualitin HS) and Elise Pereira (Plainville/King Phillip Reg. HS) both had impressive rookie seasons a year ago with Hillier earning both third team All-Northeast-10 and NE10 All-Rookie recognition. She hit .293 with 12 doubles and a team-best 28 RBI while generally hitting fourth and catching. Pereira posted a 5-8 record with a 2.80 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 75 innings.

Other returning pitchers are senior Kayleigh Fitzpatrick (East Hampstead, N.H./Timberlane Reg. HS), along with juniors Ashley Keegan (Pittsfield/Taconic HS) and Lauren Calabrese (Cave Creek, Ariz./ Boulder Creek HS).

Keegan has a 14-13 career record, Calabrese has struck out 121 during her first two seasons and Fitzpatrick has made 59 career appearances in the center circle with ten wins.

Freshmen who have impressed during the preseason included first baseman Kaylee Mankins (North Attleboro/Bishop Feehan HS), infielder Katherine Noftall (Ipswich/Ipswich HS), pitcher Charlotte Plankans (Marblehead/Marblehead HS), infielder Sam Petow (Glastonbury, Conn./ Glastonbury HS) and pitcher/ designated player Jordan Needle (Abington/Abington HS).
               Rollins and Queens are already into their schedules. The Rollins Tars opened with four wins last weekend and the Queens Royals split a doubleheader with Emmanuel (Ga.)

Bentley, picked eighth of 14 in the NE10 preseason coaches' poll, will be back in Florida for 12 games from Mar. 7-13.