|
School
|
(1st)
|
Pts.
|
2013 Overall
|
2013 NWC
|
|
Linfield College
|
(7)
|
56
|
36-8
|
25-3
|
|
Whitworth University
|
(1)
|
41
|
23-20
|
16-12
|
|
Pacific University
|
|
35
|
21-19
|
16-12
|
|
Pacific Lutheran University
|
|
34
|
27-17
|
18-10
|
|
George Fox University
|
|
22
|
18-22
|
15-13
|
|
Willamette University
|
|
22
|
14-24
|
10-18
|
|
Lewis & Clark College
|
|
15
|
16-22
|
10-18
|
|
University of Puget Sound
|
|
7
|
2-37
|
2-26
|
(First-place votes in parenthesis. Points awarded on
8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Coaches cannot vote for their own team.)
SEATTLE, Wash. – The Linfield Wildcats are a
near-unanimous selection to repeat as Northwest Conference
champions in 2014. Head softball coaches of the Northwest
Conference gave votes, in which they were not allowed to vote for
their own school. Linfield received seven out of seven possible
first-place votes for a total of 56 points in the poll.
Linfield captured its tenth-consecutive regular season Northwest
Conference title and also won the Northwest Conference Tournament a
season ago. The Wildcats finished 2013 with a 25-3 conference
record, seven games better than second-place Pacific Lutheran,
before sweeping the Northwest Conference Tournament and earning the
conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats had eight players named to either the First or
Second Team All-Northwest Conference in 2013 with only one of those
players graduating in Player of the Year Karleigh Prestianni.
The ace of the pitching staff and Northwest Conference Pitcher
of the Year Karina Paavola returns for her senior season. Paavola
led the conference in wins (22) and strikeouts (126) and was second
with a 1.82 ERA.
Coach of the Year Jackson Vaughan should have a loaded lineup to
work with in 2014, returning last season's conference leaders in
batting average in (Erin Carson - .487), home runs (Lisa Yamamoto -
13) and stolen bases (Grace Middelstadt - 34). Yamamoto was second
in the Northwest Conference in runs batted in with 56, two behind
teammate Prestianni.
Earning the only other first-place vote and coming in second in
this year's poll are the Whitworth Pirates, collecting 41
points.
Whitworth finished 16-12 in conference play and earned a berth in
last season's Northwest Conference tournament. Despite graduating
two four-year All-NWC honorees, Jamie Brunner and Heather
Hesselgesser, the Pirates are not working with a bare cupboard in
2014.
Among the key returners are junior Riley Fritz, who was
named All-NWC Second Team, and senior Caylan Haehl, who earned
All-NWC honorable mention. Senior Julia Johnson led the
team last season with six home runs, including one in the 11-2 win
over PLU in the NWC Tournament. Also returning for the Pirates
are senior Makenzie Hope, who led the team with 12 stolen
bases and sophomores Bailey Kasler, who had two home runs and
10 RBI and Megan John, who batted in 12 runs last season.
The Pacific Boxers are selected third by the Northwest
Conference coaches, earning 35 points in the poll. A season ago,
Pacific finished fourth in the standings with a 16-12 conference
record and earned the final spot in the Northwest Conference
tournament.
Head coach Tim Hill has a lot of potential on his roster. The
Boxers return seven All-NWC First and Second Team Honorees,
including senior outfielder Becca Moen, junior catcher Kylee Oshiro
and sophomore utility player Marissa Reichard who were all selected
to the All-NWC First Team.
Moen led her squad in hitting with a .397 batting average, Oshiro
led in OBP with .483 and Reichard was the stolen base leader with
28.
Slotted fourth just behind Pacific are last season's runner-up
the Pacific Lutheran Lutes. The Lutes finished 18-10 in conference
play and fell in the NWC Championship to Linfield.
Pacific Lutheran graduates three All-NWC selections from 2013:
Outfielder Montessa Califano, utility player Kaaren Hatlen and
infielder Amanda Hall. Hatlen leaves a big hole on both sides of
ball as she was in the top five of the conference in RBIs (53),
home runs (12), wins (10) and strikeouts (64).
PLU returns Second Team All-NWC selection senior infielder
Lindsey Matsunaga and her .294 average, two home runs and 18 RBI
along with senior catcher Katie Lowery who hit .278 her junior
season with 27 RBIs.
The George Fox Bruins and Willamette Bearcats both finished the
poll with 22 points, tied for fifth place.
George Fox finished just out of the top four qualifying for the
Northwest Conference tournament with a 15-13 NWC record. The Bruins
return sophomore standout infielder Kayla Anderson who led her team
in batting average, on-base percentage, hits, runs, doubles,
triples, home runs and runs batted in.
Willamette finished tied for sixth place in the NWC in 2013 with
a 10-18 conference record. The Bearcats possess potential with two
returning All-NWC selections in sophomore infielder Ashley Pender
and junior outfielder Jenna King. Both Pender and King hit over
.300 last season while Pender was the Bearcats' leader in home runs
and runs batted in her freshman season.
Lewis & Clark was voted seventh, coming off a 10-18
conference campaign and earning 15 points in the 2014 poll.
Lewis & Clark had a couple breakout freshmen in outfielder
Haley Robinson and infielder Hannah Dal Pra. Dal Pra led the
Pioneers in home runs, RBI, and batting average while Robinson led
the team with a .431 OBP. Both return for their sophomore
seasons.
Selected eighth with seven points are the Loggers of Puget
Sound, who went 2-26 in the Northwest Conference last season.
Puget Sound brings back last season's home run and RBI leader
junior Marissa Jeffers and also return ace Megan Campbell for her
sophomore season. Campbell had 25 complete games in 32 starts.
The 2014 Northwest Conference softball season gets underway Jan.
30.
--Article compiled by Northwest Conference Sports Information
Director Christopher Brown with submissions from NWC institution
Sports Information Directors. Votes were given by head softball
coaches of the Northwest Conference.