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2006 Softball Preseason Poll Release
Southern Utah notches top spot in softball preseason poll
Southern Utah's Jentry Johnson |
Centenary's Micah Rhodes |
Western Illinois' Erin Zeller |
Valparaiso's Taylor Callahan |
IUPUI's Devan Craig |
ELMHURST, ILL. - Southern Utah, winners of the last three regular-season titles, are favored to finish atop the league standings again as the Thunderbirds edged out Centenary in the 2006 Mid-Continent Conference Preseason Softball Poll. The voting panel is comprised of the league’s seven head coaches, who could not vote for their own team.
The T-Birds garnered five first-place votes on the way to tallying 35 points, while Centenary was a close second with the two remaining first-place votes and 32 points. Western Illinois checked in at third with 23 points, while Valparaiso garnered 20 points to complete the top half of the poll. IUPUI (17), UMKC (14) and Oakland (6) round out the voting.
Southern Utah will look to win its first tournament title on the strength of three key returnees. 2005 Player and Newcomer of the Year Tiffany Burt returns as do fellow first team All Mid-Con selections, senior catcher Kortny Hall and senior first baseman Jentry Johnson. Burt had a tremendous 2005 campaign for the T-Birds as she batted .352 with 11 home runs, 25 RBI, 38 runs scored and a .648 slugging percentage. Hall was steady offensively and defensively as she batted .313 and threw out 16 would be base stealers, while Johnson hit .322, knocked in 27 runs and had an on-base mark of .424. Amy Sauer is the T-Birds’ top pitcher after going 15-5 with a 3.01 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 2005.
Centenary, which is 6-0 all-time in the Mid-Con Championship, enters 2006 looking to defend its back-to-back Mid-Con Championships. Six players returned who gained All-Conference recognition a season ago. Leading the returnees are sophomore third baseman Jennifer Mango (.325, 28 RBI), junior outfielder Micah Rhodes (.325, 35 RBI, 8 HR) and sophomore outfielder Lauren Flowers (.305, 21 RBI). Sophomore pitcher Jessica Ivins had a solid rookie campaign for the Ladies on the mound as she won 19 games and posted a team-best 2.81 earned run average (ERA).
Western Illinois’ fortunes in 2006 will rely on key returnees that will replace graduated first team All Mid-Con performers Karenmarie Pena, the 2005 Pitcher of the Year, and slugger Jess Stanforth. Sophomore catcher Erin Zeller and senior infielder Maureen Troller will provide the leadership for a young squad under first-year coach Holly Van Vlymen. Zeller hit .282 overall with 46 hits and 11 RBI, while Troller batted .250 with 35 base hits and a .371 slugging mark. Christine Drankiewicz is the Westerwinds top returning pitcher after posting a 3.06 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 80 innings in 2005.
Valparaiso aims to return to the Mid-Con Championship after missing the post-season in 2005. Head coach Randy Schneider will look to first team All Mid-Con honoree, junior infielder Taylor Callahan, and second team selections, junior outfielder Megan Carroll, sophomore infielder Courtney LaFerle and sophomore pitcher Chris Halstead to provide leadership on the diamond. In conference play, Callahan hit .323 while slugging .419, Carroll led the team with a .354 average, two home runs and eight RBI, while LaFerle hit at a .320 clip. Halstead also had a strong conference season a year ago as she posted a 2.41 ERA and struck out 29 in just over 66 innings.
IUPUI will look to appear in the Mid-Con Championship for the second consecutive season after graduating just three seniors. First-year coach Maggie Calcaterra will rely on three All Mid-Con returnees to lead the Jaguars’ push towards the post-season. Senior outfielder Stacey Spechyock hit .356 with 25 RBI in 2005, while senior shortstop Whitnie Darvell hit .277 and tied teammate Sarah Needy with 22 stolen bases, one of the top marks in the nation. Senior pitcher Devan Craig led the league in ERA (1.94), won nine games and recorded 73 strikeouts. She also hit .299 and knocked in 16 runs.
UMKC head coach Carla Marchetti will look to mold a young squad into a contender for the Mid-Con title in 2006. Sophomore pitcher Jessica Heimann, a first team All Mid-Con selection, returns after posting a 2.25 ERA, striking out 36 and allowing just 56 hits in 65.1 innings against conference opposition. Senior catcher Eryn Knecht also had a solid conference season as she batted .378 with 28 hits, 11 RBI, five triples and a .568 slugging percentage.
Oakland will look to return to the Mid-Con Championship for the first time since 2003 with a solid cast of returnees under first-year coach Glenn MacDonald. Senior outfielder Camie Knorr was a second team All Mid-Con honoree a year ago after hitting .353 with 18 hits and a .421 on base mark in conference play. Senior infielder Stephanie Zellner also had a solid conference season in 2005 with a .321 average and 11 RBI.
The top four teams based on the regular-season standings will compete for the Mid-Con Softball Championship at Katheryn Berg Field in Cedar City, Utah, May 12-13. The winner of the double-elimination tournament will take home the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Softball Tournament.
2006 Softball Preseason Poll
Team, Points (1st)
1. Southern Utah, 35 (5)
2. Centenary, 32 (2)
3. Western Illinois, 23
4. Valparaiso, 20
5. IUPUI, 17
6. UMKC, 14
7. Oakland, 6
 
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