When JD McCurdy decided to move from the high school coaching ranks up to college, that was the headline from the July 1, 2003, issue of the Daily News-Record. But McCurdy, who had already found immense success at Turner Ashby as its softball coach, was ready to take that next step.

“It was the challenge,” McCurdy explained. “We (TA) were dominating everything and I just wanted a new challenge. I always wanted to coach at the college level, and there weren’t many of those available in Virginia and I didn’t want to move. So EMU was the opportunity.”

And meet that challenge he has.

Now, 400+ wins, three ODAC Coach of the Year honors, one NCAA Tournament appearance, three EMU Hall of Honor inductees, and countless All-ODAC award winners later, McCurdy is ready for another challenge…one that he’s never quite faced before: retirement. McCurdy has announced that the 2026 season, his 23rd at EMU, will be his last.

“It is time,” he explained. “I’ve had other coaches tell me, ‘You will know when it’s time,’ and I knew last year it was time for me to make a move and it’s time to give the game up and move on and do something else. I appreciate and am grateful for the opportunity that I got here, and I’m very humbled with what happened. We did really well, but I knew it was time to move on and I feel really good with that.”

When McCurdy applied for the position at EMU, he immediately became an attractive candidate to then-Director of Athletics, Larry R. Martin, because of his track record as a head coach and his knowledge of the softball scene in the Shenandoah Valley.

“I hired him because of his success at the high school level,” Martin said. “And because of him knowing the area players for recruiting, because that’s where most of our people got recruited from, was locally.”

One of those aforementioned local players was Mariah Foltz ’17. Foltz was a standout for the Broadway High School Gobblers softball team and made the decision to come play for McCurdy after her graduation in 2013. She also came back as an assistant coach with the Royals for the 2024 season. She explained that it was his drive to win that drew her to EMU.

“I’ve always loved the way Coach McCurdy governs a team,” Foltz said. “He coaches with authority and wants to win. I chose EMU because I wanted to continue to be a disciplined athlete, held to a high standard, and pushed to succeed. I’m grateful to JD for pushing me to be stronger, resilient, and more accountable.”

McCurdy’s first season was in 2004 and, in just his first season, more than doubled the Royals’ win total from the previous year. The number of wins continued to climb each year until, in 2007 and 2008, McCurdy’s stamp on the team was starting to be seen. In 2007, the Royals went 25-14, 10-8 in the ODAC, and McCurdy was named the ODAC Co-Coach of the Year with Randolph Macon’s Kevin Proffitt. He followed that up in 2008 with a record of 30-13, 13-5 in the ODAC, before falling in the ODAC semifinals.

Over the next two years, EMU had sub-.500 records in conference play, but made it to back-to-back ODAC Championship series. They fell to Lynchburg in 2009 but made it to the mountaintop in 2010, when they knocked off Virginia Wesleyan 5-1 to win EMU’s second ODAC softball championship, their first since 1990, and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. McCurdy was rewarded for that season, as he was named, once again, the ODAC Coach of the Year.    

“JD had a knack for always having his team ready for the playoffs, regardless of what the regular season was,” said former Director of Athletics Dave King. “I didn’t hear this necessarily, but it was sort of conveyed to me several ways that nobody really wanted to draw EMU in the first round of the ODAC tournament, and that one of his championships comes from having ranked eighth and come all the way through to the championship. And I never could figure out what it was about his coaching that did that. Again, I wasn’t there at every practice and all that, but he had a knack. His teams played well in the ODAC tournament, and to me that says something.”

Despite winning an ODAC championship, and not having another losing season until 2019, McCurdy explained that in his 23 years at the helm, he’s had to adapt his coaching style to meet the needs of his players over the years.

“I felt like I could adjust to any situation with that,” he said. “But kids 10 years ago were different than they are now, obviously. And I always felt that I could find a way, a button, that motivated them in some way. And even early on, I was hard. I was really a hard coach early on. I pushed my players, I pushed those kids, but whatever happened within the team, I never let that bother the focus of what we wanted to do for the team and as a team.”

Aislinn Bowen ’16 said it was that pushing and the drive that made McCurdy the successful coach that he was.

“JD succeeds because he is consistent, detail-driven, and genuinely invested in his players,” she said. “He prepares harder than anyone, whether it is breaking down film, adjusting game strategies, or finding the right way to motivate his athletes. But what really sets him apart is his ability to build relationships. He doesn’t just coach players; he develops people. When you are playing for someone who truly invests in you, you naturally want to give everything you have. That culture of commitment and accountability is why his teams win.”

While his teams haven’t seen quite the same success in recent years as at the start of his career, his drive to develop players, and people, has never wavered.

“Coach McCurdy has been a consistent support in my life since an early age,” said Grace Fravel ’25. “He was committed to getting me to EMU, and I felt confident in my decision because I knew that he truly cared, not only about my athletic career, but also my academic journey and personal well-being. Not only was he a coach of mine, but he is also someone I knew I could always count on to help me navigate challenging times throughout my four years at EMU. His love for the game and his players is well-known on and off the field. I feel extremely grateful to have had him as my coach, and I know that he has impacted many ladies’ lives far beyond just my own.”

But now, the time has come. After the season comes to an end, whenever that may be, McCurdy isn’t planning on just riding off into the sunset…that’s not who he is. He’s just planning on looking for that next challenge, even if it’s not on the softball field.

“I’m not quite sure what that next challenge is, but I can guarantee it’ll be something,” McCurdy explained. “I’m definitely going to be involved with my grandkids and their baseball. I’ll spend time with my wife and do some traveling. But outside of that, it’s up in the air.”

And while he may not be at EMU anymore after this season, the impact he’s made will continue to be felt long after a new coach is hired.

“JD’s impact on EMU Softball is significant and lasting,” said Carrie S. Bert ’97, EMU’s Director of Athletics. “Over the course of his career, he elevated the program, highlighted by an ODAC championship and more than 400 career wins. These milestones reflect both longevity and competitive excellence. He has been widely respected by local coaches, colleagues across the ODAC, and peers from all levels of the game for his knowledge, competitiveness, and long-standing commitment to softball. JD invested deeply in the sport and in this institution, and his commitment to recruiting and developing local student-athletes strengthened our connection to the surrounding community. We are grateful for the many years he dedicated to EMU and for the role he played in advancing our softball program during his tenure. JD has certainly earned a well-deserved retirement and we wish him all the best in this next chapter.”

EMU will conduct a national search for McCurdy’s replacement, beginning later this month. Interested candidates may visit emu.edu/careers-at-emu for more information once the position is posted.  

As a Royal, Troyer was a three-time All-ODAC First Team honoree and a two-time all-Region middle hitter. During her sophomore year, EMU women’s volleyball won the ODAC championship, defeating Bridgewater in a thrilling five-set championship match. At the time of her graduation in 1993, Troyer held EMU career records for kills (969) and blocks (347) and now sits third all-time on both of those lists. As an EMU basketball forward, Troyer graduated fourth all-time in career rebounds with 648. She played first base on the 1990 softball team that won the ODAC championship, is fourth all-time in the Royals’ record book for stolen bases in a season (1990) with 24, and earned a spot on the All-ODAC Second Team in 1992.

Troyer said she “had a great experience playing sports” at EMU with teammates that were her closest friends and a coaching staff that was “so supportive.” Troyer retired in June 2023 after teaching special education for 30 years at Turner Ashby High School (Bridgewater) where she coached girls’ varsity volleyball for 24 years and junior varsity softball for four years. 

Runner saw success beginning her first year as a Royal. In 2006, she made the All-ODAC Second Team and set multiple records, including number of wins in a season (14), strikeouts in a season (88), lowest ERA (1.23), and lowest opponent batting average (.180). She captured All-ODAC Second Team honors again in 2008. Runner completed her career at EMU with a total of 40 wins, 239 strikeouts, 13 shutouts, and a 1.95 ERA over 437.2 innings pitched.

Runner speaks highly of her college softball experience. “My teammates and I clicked right away and were close my whole time at EMU. We created quite a sisterhood and have a reunion with our children every year.” Runner and her husband Jason, a member of the U.S. Navy, have two sons, Lucas (8) and Noah (4), and live in Suffolk, Virginia. Runner, who McCurdy says was “a true example of a pitcher,” currently offers pitching lessons and hopes to one day get into coaching.

Miranda White Terry ‘08, a liberal arts major, played both softball and basketball at Fort Defiance High School in Verona, Virginia, and chose EMU because she wanted “to stay local and continue to play sports.” The homegrown catcher/infielder had heard head softball coach J.D. McCurdy was a “great coach” and decided to become a Royal when he asked her to come play for him.

Terry and her teammates “worked hard to improve the EMU softball program,” which won 95 games and qualified for the ODAC tournament from 2005-2008. At the time of her graduation in 2008, Terry held three single-season records: hits (56), doubles (16), and total bases. She also held career records in hits, runs, singles, doubles, at-bats, games played, walks, and putouts. Terry finished her time as a Royal batting .373 with 174 hits, 39 doubles and 119 RBI. She was a four-time All-ODAC honoree, earning Honorable Mention in 2005, Second Team in 2006 and 2007, and First Team in 2008. In 2005, she was named the EMU Female Newcomer of the Year.

Terry currently lives in Monterey, Virginia, where she and her husband work for River View Farm and also own their own farm. She continues to play softball in a local co-ed recreation league and has been excited to start teaching the game to her daughters, Kelsey (5) and Lacy (2). McCurdy described Terry as “everything a coach wants in a softball player.” Terry, who also played basketball at EMU for a year, credits EMU Athletics with growing her work ethic, leadership skills, and spiritual life.

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Lee was also named All-Region Second Team and All-ODAC Second Team.

She was second for the Lady Royals this spring with a .405 batting average, and led the team with 35 runs, 10 stolen bases and a .750 slugging percentage.  She added eight homeruns, 12 doubles and 29 RBIs.  As a pitcher, Lee led Eastern Mennonite with a 12-5 record with a 2.25 ERA.

In her final season, Lee established program records with 27 career homers and 141 career runs.  She also helped the team break program records with 49 longballs and a .542 slugging percentage.

She was also named VaSID All-State First Team in 2011.

EMU finished 27-13 this spring, tying last year’s club for the second-most wins in program history.

For more information and the full list of all-state award winners, visit .

Senior (Buckingham, VA/Buckingham County) was the only of the women named to the All-ODAC Second Team, as the pitcher/third baseman was given the utility nod on the team.  She has been named to an All-ODAC Team each of her four seasons at EMU and was also ODAC Pitcher of the Year in 2011.  This spring, Lee batted .405 with 35 runs, 29 RBIs and eight homers.  From the circle, she led the pitching staff with a 12-5 record and a 2.25 ERA.  She will also graduate with a few program records, including 27 Career Homeruns and 141 Career Runs.

Second baseman (Mt. Solon, VA/Fort Defiance) landed on the All-ODAC Third Team after leading the Lady Royals with a .408 batting average, nine homeruns, 39 RBIs and 17 walks.  She added 32 runs and was also in the top four of the ODAC in all three of the triple crown categories.  Allman’s homer total re-broke her own EMU season record, which had been eight.  The junior adds the award to an All-ODAC Honorable Mention from 2011.

Fellow junior (Stanley, VA/Page County) took over at first base this spring and led the team with a .987 fielding percentage, committing just four errors.  She earned a Third Team spot after being named to the First Team as a designated player as a sophomore.  Jenkins set personal highs in most offensive categories, batting .366 with eight homers and 31 RBIs.

Catcher (Brookneal, VA/William Campbell) showed an effective bat to go along with one of the strongest throwing arms in the conference, gaining a Third Team spot after being named Second Team in 2011.  Crews batted .333 with career bests of five homeruns and 19 RBIs.  Opposing runners were generally wary of running against EMU when Crews was behind the plate, and she was also a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen base attempts when she was on base.

Shortstop (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) rounds out the women’s selections on the Third Team, after gaining the Second Team spot as a freshman last spring.  She had a .387 batting average with 33 runs scored and 28 RBIs.  Hensley led Eastern Mennonite with 55 hits, one shy of the program record, and 13 doubles.  Her strong arm at short also made tough defensive plays look routine.

Eastern Mennonite finished with a record of 27-13, advancing into the final four of the ODAC Tournament.  The team also broke program records with 49 homeruns and a .542 slugging percentage.  EMU had three of the top six homerun hitters in the ODAC, and six of the top 12.

Tuesday’s twinbill with ODAC-leading Virginia Wesleyan will now be played at James Madison University in Harrisonburg.  First pitch is at 6:00pm at Veterans Memorial Park.  Admission will be free.

Wednesday’s contest with Randolph-Macon College will be played at Harrisonburg High School with a start time of 5:00pm.  The date with the Yellow Jackets will also be Senior Recognition for EMU.

Rains over the weekend forced the postponement of both conference doubleheaders.  The games needed to be played quickly, as the ODAC Tournament starts on Friday in Salem.  The Lady Royals are currently 23-9 overall and sixth in the ODAC at 7-7.

Smith threw a pair of complete game shutouts last week to pick up a pair of victories.  The sophomore threw 13.2 scoreless innings to improve to 6-1 on the year.  She scattered five hits in a 2-0 win over Randolph, then threw a five-inning shutout against Sweet Briar.

Smith is second in the ODAC with four shutouts, fourth in batting average against and fifth in ERA.

She also helped lead EMU at the plate, batting .537 with a pair of homeruns.  Smith scored five runs and knocked in nine more, and leads the ODAC with 35 RBIs.

The Lady Royals are 22-6 as they prepare for Tuesday’s doubleheader at Roanoke.  They women are 6-4 in ODAC play.

The Lady Royals got a single in the first and a pair in the second, but SU starter Brooke Over got out of the jam each time.  Lisa Lee (Buckingham, VA/Buckingham County), meanwhile, didn’t allow a runner until a two-out walk in the third.

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth.  Lee drew a two-out walk.  Within a couple of pitches, the speedster took off for second.  As Lee slid in with the steal, the throw from the Hornets’ catcher sailed wide and into shallow center field.  Lee took off for third and then took advantage of a lack of hustle in the outfield by turning the corner for home, sliding in headfirst and slapping home for the first run of the game.

Back in the circle in the top of the sixth, Lee continued her no-hitter with her third consecutive one-two-three inning.

In the bottom of the frame, Over had two outs but made a bad pitch to Sara Jenkins (Stanley, VA/Page County).  The first baseman ripped it over the left field fence for a 2-0 lead and her third homerun of the season.  A couple of minutes later, lightning forced a lengthy delay to the game.

Lee tried to close out the no-no when play resumed, but gave up a one-out single in the seventh.  She kept her composure, however, and coaxed out back-to-back fly balls to earn the shutout victory.

Another lightning bolt then put the start of game two in a delay, before finally postponing it altogether.  As both teams have had a handful of games cancelled this spring, the two will try to schedule another doubleheader in the coming weeks.

Lee improved to 7-2 with the win, as she struck out two and allowed only two base runners via one hit and one walk.  Over allowed five hits and walked two but also struck out 12 Lady Royals out of 18 outs.

Jenkins finished 2-3 from the plate with her homerun.  Rasheeda Crews (Brookneal, VA/William Campbell) had a pair of singles and Molly Smith (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) had a hit and a walk.

Now 17-3 overall, the women take on ODAC play in earnest.  Eastern Mennonite, 1-1 in the conference, plays at Guilford on Saturday followed by two at Lynchburg on Sunday.

Bridgewater 8, EMU 0
Despite being out-hit only 10-8, Eastern Mennonite couldn’t plate a run in the first game.  The women started out rocky, giving up two runs in the top of the first.  After going down in order in the bottom of the first, the Royals’ defense let them down in the second.

With two runners on and two away, (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) bobbled a grounder to short, allowing a run to score and letting the inning continue.  The Eagles took full advantage of the miscue, following with a three-run homer from Leigh Lam (McGaheysville, VA/Spotswood) to vault the lead to 6-0.

EMU had runners on second and third with only one away in the fourth, but a strikeout and groundout left them stranded.  Bridgewater got a solo homerun from Morgan Williams (Richmond, VA/Varina) in the sixth to up the score to 7-0.

The women left the bases loaded in their half of the sixth and BC brought in one more in the seventh for the final score.

(Buckingham, VA/Buckingham County) went the distance for the Lady Royals and took the loss to slip to 6-2.  She gave up 10 hits, walked four, and watched her defense commit three errors.

Seven of EMU’s eight hits were singles.  (Mt. Solon, VA/Fort Defiance) and (Brookneal, VA/William Campbell) each had two hits.  (Madison, VA/Madison County) had a double.

EMU 3, Bridgewater 2
The women settled down by game two and took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.  Lee led off with a single and after a BC error came in on an Allman sacrifice fly.

EMU starter (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) took a no-hitter into the fifth, but then gave up a double and single as the Eagles tied the score at 1-1.  Bridgewater took a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth and had the bases loaded with one out.  Aylor took over for Smith in the circle and successfully kept the deficit at one run with a strikeout and a groundout.

Lee tied the game in dramatic fashion to lead off the bottom of the frame, crushing a pitch nearly 250 feet to straightaway center.  It was her fourth homerun of the season.

BC speedster Kasey Anderson (Chatham, VA/Chatham) drew a one-out walk in the seventh, but Crews gunned her down trying to steal second.  The momentum of throwing out Anderson for the first time after 20 successful attempts this season carried over into the bottom of the inning.

(Stanley, VA/Page County) led off with a double to the right center gap.  (Berkeley Springs, VA/ Berkeley Springs) came in to run, and sped around to score the game-winning run when Crews shot a single up the middle.

Game two was more of what the crowd of 587 expected to see on the big stage, with EMU having five hits to BC’s four.

Lee finished 2-3 out of the leadoff spot, scoring twice and collected one RBI from her homerun.  Hensley, Jenkins and Crews had the women’s other hits.

Smith pitched four no-hit innings and settled for a no decision as she allowed two runs in 5-1/3 innings.  Aylor struck out one and walked one in 1-2/3 innings of relief to earn the win and improve to 6-1.

Eastern Mennonite moves to 16-3 on the season while No. 24 Bridgewater goes to 16-2 after the doubleheader split.  Both teams are also 1-1 in the ODAC.  The Lady Royals are on the road this weekend, playing two at Sweet Briar on Sunday.

EMU 13, York 1
After a disappointing split against Mary Washington on Saturday, the women got their bats going quickly in their home opener.  (Buckingham, VA/Buckingham County) led off with a double and the hit parade started.  The Lady Royals put together five hits, including a three-run homer from (Stanley, VA/Page County).

(Elkton, VA/Spotswood) drove out a two-run blast to start an eight-run second.  EMU put together five hits with three walks and closed out their second big inning with back-to-back sacrifice flies to push the lead to 13-0.

The women left the bases loaded in the third, but it didn’t matter as the Spartans only managed one run in the mercy-shortened game.

Eastern Mennonite had 11 hits and eight walks in their four at-bats.  Jenkins finished 3-3 with her second homerun.  The junior scored twice and had four RBIs.  was 2-3 (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) with two runs and an RBI.

(Mt. Solon, VA/Fort Defiance), (Madison, VA/Madison County) and (Brookneal, VA/William Campbell) each scored twice as well.

Lee threw the complete game to improve to 6-1.  She scattered four hits and struck out two.

EMU 5, York 2
The Spartans got on board in their first at-bat in game two, putting together a pair of hits to go ahead 1-0.

The Lady Royals batted around in the third and took the lead with four two-out runs.  Smith and Jenkins each hit RBI singles, and Crews added a two-run single.

York scored a run in the fourth, but EMU got it back in the fifth when Allman lofted a leadoff homerun over the left field fence to make it 5-2.

The visitors threatened in the sixth, but had a runner thrown out at home to end the inning.  The Spartans got a two-out single in the seventh, but Aylor threw her third consecutive scoreless frame in relief to preserve the three-run win.

Smith started in the circle and pitched four innings to improve to 4-0.  Aylor earned her first save with three innings of work.

Lee was 3-4 from the plate to lead an 11-hit attack.  She hit two doubles and a triple while scoring one run.  Allman hit her team-best fifth homer of the year and finished 2-3 with two runs and an RBI.

Crews was 2-3 with a pair of RBIs and Jenkins also had a pair of hits with one RBI.

Eastern Mennonite is now 14-2 and continues their homestand with Hood on Tuesday.  First pitch from Gehman Field is 3 p.m.

EMU 8, Old Westbury 0 – 6 innings
In the day’s opener, the women took their third consecutive mercy-shortened shutout of the weekend.  (Madison, VA/Madison County) pitched a complete game two hitter.

Junior (Shenandoah, VA/Page County) powered the offense with a three-run homerun.

EMU 2, Ferrum 1
Eastern Mennonite closed their time at the Bash by taking on co-host Ferrum College, which entered the game with a 14-1 record.  The Lady Royals escaped with the one-run win in a pitchers’ duel, handing the Panthers just their second loss of the season.

Ace (Buckingham, VA/Buckingham County) took the circle for EMU against Ferrum’s Hannah Shumaker.  Lee helped her cause from the plate before even stepping into the circle, when she led off the game with a double.  (Mt. Solon, VA/Fort Defiance) came through with the two-out single to center, bringing Lee home for a 1-0 lead.

Lee then retired the first nine Panther batters and stranded two runners in the fourth.  Ferrum bunched together three of their four hits in the sixth, plating their only run on a two-out single to tie the game at 1-1.

But (Stanley, VA/Page County) started the rally for EMU in their next at-bat, as the first baseman led off with a single to center.  (Berkeley Springs, WV/Berkeley Springs) ran for Jenkins, and made her way to third on an error after Aylor popped up to the pitcher for the first out.  (Stanley, VA/Page County) followed with an infield chopper and Napfel beat the throw home, pushing the Lady Royals right back in front, 2-1.

Lee clinched the win from the circle, firing her fifth 1-2-3 frame in the bottom of the seventh.

Each team had only four hits in the game, but Ferrum made the one costly error.  Lee struck out four sticks while Shumaker fanned 13 Lady Royals.

Lee was 2-3 from the plate with a walk and a run scored.  Allman got an RBI with her hit.  Jenkins had EMU’s only other hit and also walked once.

Eastern Mennonite has a pair of road dates this week before Sunday’s home opener.  The Lady Royals are at Mary Baldwin on Tuesday and Mary Washington on Saturday.  Then Sunday’s doubleheader with York (PA) starts at 1:00pm.

“This is potentially the best offensive team we have ever fielded at EMU,” said ninth-year Head Coach J.D. McCurdy.  “We have six returning All-ODAC athletes and some talented freshmen.”

In 2011, Eastern Mennonite set team marks for most hits (386), runs scored (287), homeruns (39), RBIs (266) and slugging percentage (.521).

The team finished with the second-best record in EMU history at 27-13 and the best record ever in ODAC play at 14-4.  The Lady Royals took the top seed into the ODAC Tournament but were knocked out late on day two of the three-day, double elimination tourney.

To make a postseason run this year and claim just the third ODAC Championship in program history, McCurdy needs his returners to continue to improve.

High school teammates (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) and (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) were each named to all-region teams last spring as freshman.  Smith led EMU with 40 RBIs, 14 doubles and 55 hits as the outfielder earned NFCA All-Region (Atlantic) Second Team honors.  Hensley was a defensive general at shortstop and led the Lady Royals with a .441 batting average.  She was named All-Region Third Team.

(Buckingham, VA/Buckingham County) earned All-ODAC First Team honors as the ODAC Pitcher of the Year, and was a star in the circle and at the plate.  She was 19-7 with two saves as a pitcher, charting a 2.24 ERA and breaking the EMU season records with 19 wins and 165-2/3 innings pitched.  She was also second on the team with seven homeruns and led the way with 42 runs, 18 walks and 15 stolen bases.

Other All-ODAC performers include: All-ODAC First Team designated player (Stanley, VA/Page County) (.364, 4 HR, 21 RBI), All-ODAC Second Team catcher (Brookneal, VA/William Campbell) (.395, 1 HR, 14 RBI), and All-ODAC Honorable Mention second baseman (Mt. Solon, VA/Fort Defiance) (.286, 8 HR, 30 RBI).

McCurdy also returns three other players: (Stanley, VA/Page County) (.300, 4 HR, 18 RBI), (Shenandoah, VA/Page County) (.304, 1 HR, 7 RBI), and (Berkeley Springs, WV/Berkeley Springs) (.500, 17 R).

The incoming class of freshmen (Madison, VA/Madison County) and (Powhatan, VA/Powhatan), while not very deep, is quite talented.

“Jordan will be an impact player as a pitcher and position player,” said McCurdy, “and Taylor provides additional offensive punch.”

With so many of the bats returning, as well as both pitchers (Lee and Smith) and newcomer Aylor, McCurdy feels his team can make some noise this year.

“A great offense and strong circle will help us stay competitive with every team we play,” he said.

The Lady Royals were tabbed to finish second in the ODAC Preseason Poll, behind ODAC Tournament Champion Virginia Wesleyan, but McCurdy is indifferent to the preseason prognosticators.

“We are never concerned where we are picked in the ODAC,” he said.  “We will put the crosshair on every team we play!”

EMU’s coach is simply excited for this season.

“The chemistry of this group is outstanding,” McCurdy explained.  “We have a good mix of very talented athletes and two very strong freshmen.  If we have a weakness it’s in depth and speed on the bases.  We will need to let our bats do the talking to overcome our weaknesses.”

If history is any indicator, the women should be able to mask their flaws.  Last year, the Lady Royals out-hit their opponents .346 to .267 and smacked nearly three times as many homeruns as they gave up (39 to 14).

Eastern Mennonite will get a big challenge as they continue their 2012 season this weekend at the Beach Blast in Virginia Beach, VA.  The women will take on two teams ranked in the NFCA national preseason poll, No. 3 Christopher Newport and No. 8 Salisbury.

McCurdy says these tough non-conference games will prepare his team for their ultimate objectives.

“Our goals are to win the ODAC Championship and win the region,” he said.  “Those are lofty goals, but our women are ready for the challenge.”

The women graduated four seniors from last year’s squad, but do return much of their record-setting offensive firepower.  (Buckingham, VA/Buckingham County) (P/3B), a three-time All-ODAC selection, is back for her senior season.  She was named ODAC Pitcher of the Year in 2011 with a program-record 19 wins on a 2.24 ERA.  At the plate, Lee also had seven homeruns, 18 walks and 15 stolen bases, and she took over EMU’s Career Homerun title during her sophomore season.

Eastern Mennonite also returns five other All-ODAC performers, including First Teamers (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) (OF/P) and (Stanley, VA/Page County) (DP).  In her freshman season, Smith led the Lady Royals with 55 hits, 14 doubles and 40 RBIs.  Jenkins finished with a .364 batting average and hit all four of her homers in ODAC play.

(Brookneal, VA/William Campbell) (C) and (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) (SS) were each named to the All-ODAC Second Team.  Hensley was stellar defensively at shortstop and batted .441 with 31 RBIs.  Crews returned last year after missing the 2010 campaign, and was third on the team with a .395 batting average.

All-ODAC Honorable Mention (Mt. Solon, VA/Fort Defiance) returns her big stick to second base, where she tied for the ODAC lead with a program record eight homeruns last spring.

The Lady Royals broke numerous offensive program records last year and finished with the second-most wins in school history at 27-13.  The women were also 14-4 in the ODAC.  They open up the 2012 season Feb. 24-25 at the Triangle Classic in Raleigh, NC.

Virginia Wesleyan earned seven first place votes and 77 total points as the Marlins were picked to repeat as conference champions in the 2012 ODAC Softball Preseason Poll.  Bridgewater College (57), Guilford College (54) and Roanoke College (52) are separated by just five votes for the next three slots in the predicted rankings.

The Marlins captured their sixth ODAC title in 2011, tying for second-most in the conference behind Roanoke (7) with Lynchburg.  VWC turned the trick in just four games, the second straight year the ODAC’s tournament champion needed the minimum number of games to hoist the league’s hardware (EMU in 2010).  VWC’s crown paved the way to the NCAA Division III Tournament, but the Marlins’ stay was shorter than expected following losses to Christopher Newport (8-6) and Kean University (13-5).

Virginia Wesleyan (29-11 overall, 10-8 in ODAC play in 2011) and reigning ODAC Coach of the Year, Brandon Elliott, welcome back all four of their all-conference performers from a season ago.  Included in that group are a pair of All-ODAC First Team choices in ODAC Rookie of the Year, pitcher MacKenzie Creech (18-6, 1.84 ERA), and catcher Jaclyn Quinn (.378, 5 HR, 35 RBI).  Creech tied for tops in the ODAC with 157 strikeouts and was second in wins (18) and innings pitched (160.0), while Quinn was second with 16 doubles and third with a .658 slugging percentage.

Bridgewater (31-11, 14-4), Guilford (26-15, 10-8) and Roanoke (27-11, 12-6) combine for six returning all-conference athletes, three from the first team.  Leading the way for the Eagles is first team shortstop Hillary Rees (.410, 13 2B, 33 RBI).  She’s joined by second team pitcher Heather Jenkins (13-6, 1.98 ERA, 120.1 IP).  The Quakers will look to starter Jessica Burcham (14-6, 1.91 ERA), who led the league with 18 complete games and tied atop the charts with 157 strikeouts.  The Maroons feature three returners from the all-conference lists including 2011 batting champ Leona Rainey (.446), who also led the league in stolen bases (32) and on-base percentage (.514).  She’s joined by fellow first team choice, utility player Stephanie Clark (.322, 15 RBI and 4-2, 0.85 ERA).

Lynchburg (21-18, 8-10) goes in search of its fourth ODAC crown in the last six years.  Helping with that effort is second team second baseman Sarah Smith (.263, .314 OBP) and honorable mention catcher Meagan Fredenburg (.316, 21 RBI).

Randolph (22-19, 7-11) returns three all-conference players from the team that went to the ODAC title game for the first time in school history.  Lauren Stevenson (.440, 4 3B, 30 SB) and Brittany Willingham (.391, .623 SLG%) will again roam two-thirds of the WildCats’ outfield after first and second team seasons, respectively.  Willingham led the ODAC in doubles (17) and runs batted in (49).

Randolph-Macon (21-13, 11-7) and Emory & Henry (10-24, 4-12) each feature a returning all-conference standout.  The Yellow Jackets welcome back second team utility player Heather Lewis, who performed well both at the plate (.314, .392 OBP) and in the circle (9-8, 2.27 ERA).  The Wasps are led by honorable mention catcher Jenae Morrissey (.346, .400 OBP) as new head coach Sara Schoenhoft prepares for her first season in Emory.

Sweet Briar College (0-20, 0-18) will look for new on-field leaders following the graduation of key seniors from 2011.  Catcher/first baseman Nikki Thompson (.225, .311 OBP) is the Vixens’ top returning hitter.

Listed below is the 2012 ODAC Softball Preseason Poll.  For more information, visit any of the participating schools’ websites, or go to the ODAC’s home on the Internet at .  Don’t forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook by clicking .  You can also follow the ODAC on Twitter by clicking .