2017 Northwest Conference Softball Pre-Season Coaches' Poll
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TEAM
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1STS
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PTS
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'16 NWC
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'16 ALL
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Linfield College
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(5)
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52
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18-10
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32-16
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Whitworth University
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(2)
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42
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20-8
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29-15
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George Fox University
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(1)
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40
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18-10
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31-16
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Pacific Lutheran University
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|
31
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14-14
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22-16
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Pacific University (Ore.)
|
|
24
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17-11
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25-16-1
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|
Lewis & Clark College
|
|
20
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11-17
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17-23
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Willamette University
|
|
16
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10-18
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14-19
|
|
University of Puget Sound
|
|
7
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4-24
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10-28
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(Points awarded on a 8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Coaches could not vote on their own teams.)
NWC SOFTBALL POLL: Linfield Picked to Emerge as 2017 Champs from Crowded Field
HILLSBORO, Ore. – In what is expected to be another exciting Northwest Conference softball race in 2017, defending conference tournament champion Linfield College is favored to emerge as the regular season champion, according to a pre-season poll of the league's eight coaches as announced by the conference office Wednesday afternoon.
Linfield collected five votes for first place and 52 total points in the poll, followed by 2017 regular season champion Whitworth University with two firsts and 42 points. George Fox University picked up the remaining first-place vote and 40 points to come in third. Coaches were not permitted to vote on their own teams.
Linfield tied for second in the conference with George Fox last spring at 18-10, then won the league tournament and advanced to the NCAA Division III National Tournament for the 13th consecutive time. The Wildcats went on to win the Spokane Regional hosted by Whitworth before falling to the eventual national champion University of Texas-Tyler on the road in a Super Regional, finishing with a 32-16 overall record. Linfield was ranked 13th in the final National Fastpitch Coaches Association D-III national poll.
Giving Linfield a legitimate shot regaining the conference title are eight players who received All-NWC accolades last spring, led by First Team outfielder Melanie Oord (Jr.), who also received NFCA All-America Second Team and NFCA All-West Region First Team honors. Shortstop Alissa Buss (Sr.) and pitcher Shelby Saylors (So.) were All-NWC First Team selections while garnering All-West Region Second and Third Team honors respectively. Utility player Erin Tauscher (Sr.) was All-NWC Second Team and All-West Region First Team. First baseman Danielle Duman (Sr.) and outfielders Cheyenne Fletcher (Jr.) and Jacinda Swiger (So.) were named All-NWC Second Team, while second baseman Kenzie Schmoll (Sr.) was honorable mention. Veteran coach Jackson Vaughan, who has amassed a 555-141-1 record in 15 seasons with the program, has the Wildcats contemplating a third national title to add to ones they won in 2007 and 2011.
Whitworth won its second straight regular-season crown at 20-8, but had to rely on an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after going 1-2 in the NWC Tournament. The Pirates went two-and-out in the Spokane Regional to finish with a 29-15 overall record.
If the Pirates are to win their third straight league title, they must find replacements for All-West Region Second Team first baseman Chelsey Hayes and Third Team pitcher Makayla Lafever (both All-NWC First Teamers), as well as All-NWC First Team outfielder Alyssa Hall and honorable mention catcher Megan John. Anchoring the Pirates' lineup this spring are returning All-Conference Second Team outfielder Shannon Wessel (Sr.), honorable mention third baseman Michelle Silva (So.), and honorable mention outfielder Myranda Ramirez (Sr.). 2016 NWC Coach of the Year Cristal Brown is back for her sixth season at Whitworth, having compiled a 129-84 mark in her previous five years.
George Fox tied for second in the NWC with Linfield at 18-10 and reached the finals of the NWC Tournament, then received its first-ever NCAA Tournament bid, giving the NWC three teams in the post-season for the first time. A 1-2 showing in the Spokane Regional left the Bruins with a final 31-16 mark, tying a school record for wins in a season.
The Bruins have big holes to plug with the graduation of All-NWC First Team shortstop Kayla Anderson and third baseman Amanda Woods, along with honorable mention catcher Courtney Howard. Anchoring the George Fox lineup again in 2017 will be All-NWC First Team first baseman Annie Veatch (Jr.), while Second Team pitcher Madison Sorenson (Jr.) is a front-line starter. Also back for coach Jessica Hollen, who is 154-176 in eight seasons at George Fox and 86-45 over the last three, is honorable mention designated player Kimi Ito (So.).
Pacific Lutheran University, which went 22-16 overall and finished fifth in the conference at 14-14, was tabbed for fourth this year with 31 points in the poll. Brandi Gordon takes over the program at PLU this season after stints as an assistant college coach at Seattle and Harvard and director of softball operations at Washington. Her roster includes All-West Region and All-NWC First Team catcher Nicole Schroeder (Sr.), All-NWC Second Team utility player Kathryn Hatlen (So.), and a pair of honorable mentions in second baseman Becca Sorenson (So.) and outfielder Emily McConnell (Sr.)
Pacific University (Ore.), which made the NWC Tournament last year after going 17-11 in the league and was 25-16-1 overall, came in fifth in the poll with 24 points. The Boxers have the biggest shoes to fill in the conference with the graduation of All-America First Team second baseman and NWC Player of the Year Rachel Roberts and All-West Region Third Team and NWC Pitcher of the Year Marissa Reichard. Also gone are All-NWC Second Team third baseman Quirena Natividad and shortstop Ashley Mitchell. All-NWC First Team outfielder Kaitlynn Donaca (So.) is the top player back for coach Liz Yandall, who has compiled a 54-31-1 record in her first two years at Pacific.
Lewis & Clark received 20 points to place sixth in the poll after going 17-23 overall and finishing sixth in the NWC at 11-17. The Pioneers' efforts to move into the upper echelon of the conference will be led by All-West Region Third Team and All-NWC First Team outfielder Paige Salavea (Jr.) and Second Team designated player Emily Drevdahl (So.). Head coach Shawna Cyrus is now in her eighth season at Lewis & Clark.
Willamette University was picked seventh in the poll with 16 points, coming off 14-19 campaign and a seventh-place finish in the conference at 10-18. The Bearcats graduated All-NWC Second Team second baseman Ashley Pender, but bring back Second Team catcher Alex Shields (Sr.) and honorable mention first baseman Mallory Asaro. Damian Williams is the dean of coaches in the conference, entering his 18th season at Willamette with a cumulative record of 334-284.
The University of Puget Sound, which was 10-28 overall and came in eighth in the NWC at 4-24, was picked for that spot again with seven poll points. All-NWC Second Team utility player Kayla Andrus has graduated, so the Loggers will look to versatile Erica Gott (Jr.) and Jaci Young (Sr.) to provide them with veteran leadership. Coach Kellyn Tate enters her fifth season at Puget Sound.
The 2017 season gets under way with Whitworth making a six-game road swing through southern California Friday-Sunday, Jan. 27-29, to play the University of La Verne, the University of Redlands, and Occidental College. Conference play commences the weekend of Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 25-26, with Lewis & Clark at Whitworth, George Fox at Linfield, Pacific (Ore.) at Pacific Lutheran, and Willamette at Puget Sound.
The four-team Northwest Conference Tournament, which determines the league's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs, is set for Friday-Sunday, Apr. 21-23. The regular-season champion will host the double-elimination tournament, with 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 as the opening-round matchups.
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