Modglin to play for New England Riptide

With the season she had, it figured that Lisa Modglin wouldn’t be quite done playing softball.

Sure enough, Modglin will leave June 13 to join the defending National Pro Fastpitch champion New England Riptide. The graduating senior center fielder said Thursday in a phone interview that she had not yet signed a contract, but planned to soon after its expected arrival via fax.

“I’m really excited,” Modglin said. “I haven’t thought about it that much. The opportunity kind of came up a couple months ago. It wasn’t something I was about to pass up.”

Modglin enjoyed the finest season in program history this year. Among the Simi Valley native’s 2007 accolades are first-team Louisville Slugger NFCA All-America honors, Big West Conference Player of the Year and the school’s Female Athlete of the Year award. She finished the regular season second nationally among all Division I players in batting average and slugging percentage, wrapping up the season with a .476 average, 16 home runs and 44 RBI.

Her production spearheaded a 39-17 season for Cal Poly, which reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since moving to the Division I level in 1995 before a disappointing 0-2 showing in regional play.

The Riptide opened the season Thursday night at the Washington Glory. Modglin said she hopes to make her debut for New England in mid-June, at which time the team hosts the Venezuelan National Team before the NPF’s Chicago Bandits and Philadelphia Force come to town.

Although Modglin said she doesn’t “know that many players in the league or that much about it,” she said she is excited to head across the country to continue her career.

“I’m really excited about that,” she said. “I’ve only lived in Simi Valley and (in San Luis Obispo). It’s a big step going across the country.”

Modglin said she expects to continue playing in the outfield upon her arrival and that the Riptide is “re-doing their outfield.”

Modglin said she expects to sign for the summer – New England’s regular season ends Aug. 19 – but is unsure beyond that point in time. She will graduate with a business degree with a concentration in accounting and said working for an accounting firm is one of several possibilities in the future.

“I’ll do (softball) as long as I can and see from there,” she said.

As for what her signing does for the program, Modglin said: “We’re starting to be recognized a little bit more. People didn’t know we had a softball team. Even people in town are starting to recognize us. We can recruit some really good players. We can be a dominant force in Division I.”