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Western Illinois favored to claim title in softball preseason poll

March 5, 2008 on 9:20 pm | In Athletics |

ELMHURST, Ill. Western Illinois, last year’s regular season champion, is favored to finish atop the league standings again as the Westerwinds edged out Southern Utah in the 2008 Summit League Preseason Softball Poll.

The voting panel is comprised of the league’s nine head coaches, who cannot vote for their own teams.

Western Illinois garnered five first-place votes on the way to tallying 61 points, while Southern Utah was a close second with 57 points and the other three first-place votes. League newcomer North Dakota State finished with 49 points, good for third place, followed by Centenary in fourth with 42 points. Oakland checked in at fifth with 37 points, while IUPUI garnered 28 points for sixth place and South Dakota State received 25 points for seventh place. UMKC (14) and IPFW (11) round out the voting.

“The Summit League is a very competitive conference,” Western Illinois head coach Holly Van Vlymen said. “Any number of teams could easily finish at the top and it is flattering to have your colleagues think highly of our program.”

Reigning Coach of the Year Van Vlymen looks to lead Western Illinois to its seventh tournament title but first in the last seven years. The Westerwinds have six starters and three pitchers returning from last year’s team that went 23-23. WIU will be led by first-team all-league returners Britt Mason, Samantha Valentine and Kamren Ferguson. Mason hit .344 on the year, while Valentine posted a .333 batting average. Ferguson, the league’s Pitcher of the Year, posted a 2.11 earned-run average (ERA) with 117 strikeouts. The Westerwinds also return the 2007 Newcomer of the Year, Lauren Furgala, who hit .339 last year as a freshman.

“We will have a good mix of newcomers and returners to compete in our tough non-conference schedule this season, which will prepare us for the tight Summit League race,” Van Vlymen said.

Southern Utah, fresh off its first-ever win in an NCAA Tournament game, returns just six players, four of whom were starters, from last year’s league championship team. The Thunderbirds will be led by their four all-conference returners Karli Jenson (.302, .427 OBP), Rodeo Carli (.313, 12-13 SB), Kristina Brooks (128 SO, 5 SHO) and Lindi Kennedy (.364, 57 RBI, 15 HR).

North Dakota State returns five starters and three pitchers from last year’s team that posted a 34-23 record. The Bison will be led by pitcher Allison Bakke, who went 22-13 with a 1.33 ERA and 243 strikeouts en route to being named the Division I Independent Pitcher of the Year. NDSU will be led offensively by first baseman Melissa Chmielewski, who hit .317 with 49 RBI as a freshman last year.

Centenary returns seven starters from last year’s squad that went 22-27 and finished in fourth place in the conference standings. Leading the returnees are junior infielder Allison McClain (.282, .396 OBP), a second-team all-conference selection last year and junior shortstop Emerald Doria (.311, 24 RBI). Centenary returns all three of its pitchers from a year ago.

Oakland hopes to make a return trip to the league championship after falling in the title game last year. Head coach Glenn MacDonald returns six starters from last year’s squad that went 21-36, led by first-team all-conference pitcher Jessica Granger, who posted a 2.34 ERA in 251.0 innings with 166 strikeouts. Second-team honorees Julie Owen (.314, 44 H, 15 RBI) and Katie Dreyer (.208, .303 OBP) also return.

IUPUI looks to appear in The Summit League Championship after a two-year absence. Third-year coach Maggie Calcaterra will rely on second team returnee Cayleigh Harvey to lead the Jaguars’ push toward the postseason. Harvey hit .268 with 18 RBI.

South Dakota State returns five starters and one pitcher from last year’s team that posted a 17-32 record. First-year head coach Joanna Lane’s Jackrabbits will be led by Samantha Heinzman, a first-team All-Independent selection a year ago, along with second-team picks Jenna Marston and Brooke Postma.

UMKC second-year head coach Meredith Smith looks to improve upon last year’s 4-46 mark. The Kangaroos return four starters and one pitcher from last year’s squad, led by seniors Alicia Baker and Monica Canisales.

IPFW, which went 6-26 last year, returns six starters and three pitchers from a year ago. Catcher Tara Mickelson, a second-team All-Independent and Independent All-Newcomer pick last year as a freshman, will lead the Mastodons. Mickelson led the team in nearly every offensive category, including batting average, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, slugging percentage and on base percentage.

The top four teams based on the regular-season standings will compete for The Summit League Championship at Kathryn Berg Field in Cedar City, Utah, May 10-11. The winner of the double-elimination tournament will take home the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Softball Tournament.

2008 Softball Preseason Poll

Team (1st) Points

1. Western Illinois (5) 61

2. Southern Utah (3) 57

3. North Dakota State 49

4. Centenary 42

5. Oakland 37

6. IUPUI 28

7. South Dakota State 25

8. UMKC 14

9. IPFW 11

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