: ''For information on all La Salle University sports, see

La Salle Explorers The La Salle Explorers are the varsity sports teams from La Salle University in Philadelphia. The Explorers compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The men's and women's basketball teams also participate in the Phi ...

'' The La Salle Explorers softball team represented

La Salle University La Salle University () is a private university, private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Bapt ...

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Division I

college softball College softball is softball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. College softball is normally played by women at the Intercollegiate level, whereas college baseball is nor ...

from 1973 until 2021. From 1986 until 1992, the team was a member of the

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Its current 13 full members are located in five Northeastern states: Connecticut, Maryland, Massachuse ...

(MAAC). From 1993 until 1995, the team was a member of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (MCC). From 1995 until the school's final season in 2021, they were a member of the

Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. The A-10's member schools are located most ...

(A-10). The Explorers were most recently led by interim head coach Sarah Prezioso. The team formerly played its home games at West Campus Field, which is located on the college's campus. On September 29, 2020, it was announced that the school would be cutting seven athletic programs, including the softball team, citing enrollment and financial issues that were accelerated by the

COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The team played its final season in 2021.

History

After joining the

in 1987, La Salle found significant success throughout their tenure, winning three regular season championships and four MAAC tournament championships. The Explorers defeated Fairfield to win the tournament in 1989,

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

to win in 1990, and

Canisius Canisius may refer to: People * Saint Peter Canisius (1521–1597), Dutch Jesuit Catholic priest * Theodorich Canisius (1532–1606), Jesuit academic, half-brother of St. Peter Canisius * Henricus Canisius (1562–1610), Dutch canonist and histor ...

to win in 1992. In 1990, head coach Rick Pohlig was named MAAC Coach of the Year. In 1990 and 1992, pitcher Andrea Huck was named MAAC Player of the Year. For her career accomplishments, Huck was named to the MAAC's 40th Anniversary softball team, along with former teammates Kelli McGahey, Kerri McGahey, and Mary McGrath. In 1991, it was announced that La Salle would be leaving the MAAC to join the Midwestern Collegiate Conference in an attempt to shift the conference from a regional one to a national one. In 1995, it was announced that La Salle would again be switching conferences, this time to the

. In 1997, pitcher Debbie Klawiter was named A-10 Rookie of the Year. In the same year, head coach Ray Perri was named A-10 Coach of the Year, the team's only coaching award during their tenure in the Atlantic 10 Conference. In 2001, infielder Amanda Clark was named A-10 Rookie of the Year. On September 29, 2020, it was announced that the school would be cutting seven athletic programs, including the softball team, citing enrollment and financial issues that were accelerated by the

. The program cuts drew criticism from student-athletes in addition to threats of a

Title IX Title IX is a landmark federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receiv ...

lawsuit. Prior to the start of the program's final season in 2021, Brooke Darreff was replaced as head coach by interim Sarah Prezioso. The Explorers finished their final season in 2021 with a 0–30 record, ending the softball program's 48 year history with three regular season championships, four conference tournament championships, and no appearances in the NCAA tournament.

Coaching history

Roster

Season by season results

Season cut short due to

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:La Salle Explorers softball Defunct college softball teams in the United States La Salle Explorers NCAA Division I softball teams Softball teams in Pennsylvania