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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ORANGE, Calif. – The number 13 can be lucky or unlucky depending on who is talking, but for the Chapman University women’s softball team it’s as good as any number between one and 25. The Panthers are ranked No. 13 in NCAA Division III by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) preseason poll released Wednesday. That’s a jump from No. 23, where Chapman finished the 2006 season after being eliminated in the regional playoffs. Chapman (8-2) already has a head start on the rest of the top-25, most teams of which won’t begin play until March. The high-powered Panther offense is averaging 10 runs per game in its eight victories, in spite of a roster of mostly freshmen and sophomores. The Panthers’ schedule will get a whole lot tougher beginning next month. Chapman travels to Panama City Beach, Fla. from March 9-11 to play in the NFCA Leadoff Classic, where it will face No. 3 Ithaca (N.Y.) in pool play and has the potential of squaring off against several other top-25 teams. From there, the Panthers will host No. 5 UW-Eau Claire, No. 6 Linfield (Ore.), No. 8 St. Thomas (Minn.) and No. 12 Williams (Mass.) as part of their own Sun West Tournament in Orange. Under head coach Janet Lloyd, Chapman has won seven regional championships and one national championship (1995) in the past 12 years.
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