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RIPON – St. Norbert and Monmouth were both tabbed as preseason favorites of the North and South Division, respectively, in the 2012 Midwest Conference (MWC) Preseason Softball Coaches Poll. 

The Green Knights received three first place votes and 15 total points and just edged out defending MWC Champion Ripon who grabbed two first place votes and had 14 points. Carroll picked up 10 points and is projected to finish in third place while Lawrence (seven points) and Beloit (four points) round out the division predictions. Monmouth picked up three first place votes in the South Division and barely beat out Lake Forest who earned two first place votes and 14 total points. Knox picked up 10 points and was picked in third place and was followed by Illinois C. (seven points) and Grinnell (four points).

The conference will look familiar this season as 16 All-MWC selections return (eight from the North Division, eight from the South Division) led by all five of the MWC Player and Pitcher of the Year awardees. In the North Division Steph Brunette will defend her MWC Player of the Year award for St. Norbert while MWC Pitcher of the Year Stephanie Rieuwpassa will come back for Ripon. Lauren Bergstresser (Monmouth) and Aubrey Pendegraft (Lake Forest) both return after being named MWC South Co-Players of the Year while Megan Butler (Monmouth) will defend her MWC South Pitcher of the Year Award.

2012 MWC Preseason Softball Coaches Poll

 

North
1	St. Norbert (3)	15 points
2	Ripon (2)	14
3	Carroll	10
4	Lawrence	7
5	Beloit	4
South
1	Monmouth (3)	15
2	Lake Forest (2)	14
3	Knox	10
4	Illinois C.	7
5	Grinnell	4

Notes: first place votes in paranthesis...Four points awarded for first place, three for second, etc.

 

North Division Preview

St. Norbert Green Knights
2011 Records: 20-18, 10-3
Returning All-MWC: 3

JoAnn Krueger returns three All-MWC First Team athletes to a St. Norbert team that is in search of its third title in the last four years after being knocked out of the MWC Tournament in a deciding seventh game in 2011. Last season St. Norbert was one of the most well rounded teams in the conference as they topped the league in slugging percentage (.483), runs (218), hits (349), doubles (68) and home runs (30) while also finishing second in the league in ERA (3.18), opposing batting average (.281) and batters struck out (162). Steph Brunette returns as the defending MWC batting champion after hitting .535 and registering a 1.356 OPS while leading the league in runs (45), hits (77), doubles (17) and triples (5). Brittany Narges (.413/.483/.706) and Morgan Buboltz (.361/.425/.639) also are back after All-MWC years where Narges finished tied for second in the MWC in runs scored (37), hits (52) and doubles (14) and Buboltz led the league with eight home runs and was runner up in RBI (34). Jessica Kropp (1-1, 4.20 ERA) is the only returning pitcher for Krueger after throwing 8.1 innings last season and will try to replace Kayla Krueger who had 11 wins and a team-best 2.89 ERA in 2011.

Ripon Red Hawks
2011 Records: 27-10, 10-3 MWC
Returning All-MWC: 1

Ripon will take the field in 2012 looking for back-to-back MWC Championships after claiming a school record 27 victories and winning three games in the NCAA Softball Regional. Under the guidance of fourth year head coach Jen Mueller the Red Hawks posted conference high’s in every pitching category including ERA (2.31), opposing batting average (.230) and batters struck out (281) while ranking second in the league in fielding percentage (.951). All-MWC First Team selection Stephanie Rieuwpassa returns after a 2011 season that saw her hit .347 with 14 doubles (second in MWC), 42 hits (ninth in MWC) and 21 RBI. Rieuwpassa also was the best in the league when she was on the mound as she led the conference in ERA (1.91), opposing batting average (.219), strikeouts (158) and wins (14) to pace the Red Hawks staff. Cassie Bilotto will compliment Rieuwpassa offensively as she hit .324 with 33 RBI while being tied for the league with eight home runs.

Carroll Pioneers
2011 Record: 13-20, 5-8 MWC
Returning All-MWC: 2

Carroll looks to improve after winning only five conference games and aims to challenge for the first conference championship since winning the league back-to-back in the 2000 and 2001 seasons. Head coach Amy Gradecki brings back a pair of first team All-MWC performers from last year in Amanda Strutz and Christine Roggemann to lead the Pioneers. Strutz led the team with a .358 average collecting 39 hits, eight doubles and 15 RBI while finishing fourth in the conference with 15 stolen bases. Roggemann pulled double duties as she hit .324 with a team-high 10 doubles also registering seven wins and holding a 3.24 ERA (8th in MWC). Nicki Lenden rounds out a trio of players that hit better than .300 with a .301 average that included a pair of home runs and four doubles. Kristy Johnson will pair with Roggemann after tossing 56.2 innings and picking up five wins to round out the Pioneers starters.

Lawrence Vikings
2011 Record: 13-16, 6-7 MWC
Returning All-MWC: 1

2011 MWC Coach of the Year Kim Tatro returns a full roster from a Lawrence team that finished on the outside looking in of the MWC Tournament picture last season and aims to return to the four team tournament for the first time since the 2006 season. All-MWC First Team selection Cathy Kaye comes back after hitting .356 with five home runs, 18 RBI and 14 stolen bases. Shannon Murray joins Kaye after hitting .358 with a team-high 29 RBI while gathering 10 doubles and two home runs. Emily Parish started in all 29 games, hitting .354 with three doubles and 18 RBI while also tossing 80.2 innings on the mound that included six wins and a 4.17 ERA. Murray also was a mainstay of the pitching staff last season as she tossed 91 innings for six wins and a 4.54 ERA and striking out 52 hitters.

 
Beloit Buccaneers
2011 Record: 9-24, 5-8 MWC
Returning All-MWC: 1

Kim Zarling returns for her fifth season with a senior laden team that is in search of a MWC Tournament berth after finishing the 2011 season with only nine wins. Zarling does welcome back All-MWC First Team selection Sarah Stariha after she hit .374 with six doubles and two triples while also finishing sixth in the league with 13 stolen bases. Praises Vega was the second leading hitter last year with a .276 average and 12 RBI while Kandace Fox led the team in extra base hits (11) and RBI’s (15). Katy Sandt will lead the Bucs on the mound after picking up seven wins and holding opponents to a .251 batting average that was third best in the league. Sandt also finished in the top-three of the MWC in innings pitched (137.0), strikeouts (112) and batters struck out looking (26).

South Division Preview

Monmouth Fighting Scots
2011 Record: 22-14, 12-1 MWC
Returning All-MWC: 4

Monmouth defends its MWC South title this year after a near perfect 12-1 conference record and looks to avenge falling one game short of the 2011 MWC Championship game under reigning MWC South Division Coach of the Year John Goddard. Goddard brings back four All-MWC First Team selections which include Lauren Bergstresser, Caitlin Lingle, Brooke Twohill and Megan Butler. That quartet contributed to a Monmouth offense that led the league in batting average (.333) and triples (13) while finishing second in on base percentage (.385), hits (335) and total bases (436). Bergstresser finished the year with a .403 average that was sixth best in the MWC while stealing 18 bases. Lingle finished third in the conference in RBI (33) and hit .350 with Twohill (.396/.483/.505) adding fuel to a potent offense. Butler spearheaded the Fighting Scots pitching staff by posting a 2.57 ERA (second in MWC) and tallied a 6-2 record with a team-high four saves in 22 appearances. Morgan Werkheiser will also be back after a near perfect 5-1 record to go along with a 2.78 ERA (fourth in MWC).

Lake Forest Foresters
2011 Record: 14-18, 9-3 MWC
Returning All-MWC: 3

After earning the program’s 12th straight trip to the MWC Tournament in 2011, Lake Forest head coach Joe Kinsella aims to earn the team’s first MWC Championship since 2006 as he welcomes back a pair of All-MWC South Division selections. Aubrey Pendegraft, the division’s Co-Player of the Year, batted .383 and finished among the league’s top five with 12 doubles and a .701 slugging percentage for a Foresters team that hit .315 and finished second in the conference with a .468 slugging percentage. Pendegraft will be joined by Leslie Harshey (.357/.418/.490) to solidify a potent offense. Harshey belted three home runs and knocked in 25 runs last season. All-MWC pitcher Kelly Chesnut will lead the Foresters in the circle after finishing fifth in the league with a 2.86 ERA in 20 appearances and holding opposing hitters to a .268 average (fourth in MWC). Cami Daun will also contribute to the staff’s efforts after picking up five wins last season in 59.0 innings.

Knox Prairie Fire
2011 Record: 7-22, 2-11 MWC
Returning All-MWC: 1

Third year head coach Ashley Sims returns an experienced team after losing only one senior from a seven win Knox team in 2011. Sims will have to replace offensive team leader Brittany Wisniewski this season after she led the team with a .372 average with 32 hits. Amber Eisha will do her part as she is the Prairie Fire’s best power source as she led the team with seven doubles and five home runs while knocking in 19 runs and finishing team runner-up with a .349 average. Jordan Shaffer (.278/.321/.329) and Beth McRill (.268/.350/.338) will add to the offense along with Eisha to mask the loss of Wisniewski. Eisha and Anna Lemen team up to handle the pitching duties as the duo pitched all but 12 innings in the 2011 season. Lemen posted a team-low 5.67 ERA picking up a sin in 13 starts with Eisha tossing 13 complete games and earning five wins in 98.2 innings.

Illinois C. Lady Blues
2011 Record: 15-19, 5-7 MWC
Returning All-MWC: 0

After a third place finish in the MWC South Division in 2011 Mark Brayfield looks to get the Lady Blues back into the MWC Tournament to compete for the first MWC Championship in school history. Last season Illinois C. boasted one of the top offenses that ranked in the top-three in average (.327, second), on base percentage (.394, first), slugging percentage (.483, third), hits (300, third) and runs (216, second). Alese Speckhart comes back after a stellar freshman campaign where she hit .400 with three triples, three home runs and a 1.117 OPS while fellow sophomore Paige Cullison will add to the offensive mix after hitting .393 with 44 hits, six doubles, three triples and 16 RBI. Mollie Hoerr hit .387 with a team-high 10 doubles and a 1.016 OPS to round out the offense. Speckhart also returns as the top hurler after posting a 5.85 ERA in 13 appearances while Erin Rutledge earned a team-high five wins in 63.1 innings pitched last season.

Grinnell Pioneers
2011 Record: 0-33, 0-13 MWC
Returning All-MWC: 1

Amanda Reckamp welcomes a lot of fresh faces in 2012 as Grinnell only enlists two seniors from a 2011 team that went winless but looks to climb the latter as the season begins. Despite losing Brianna Gallo, an All-MWC First team selection, the Pioneers return fellow All-MWC First Team outfielder/pitcher Amanda Stromquist. Stromquist collected a team-best 34 hits, 10 doubles and 17 RBI while hitting .395 and posting a .983 OPS to pace the Grinnell offense. She also tossed a conference-high 141.1 innings by starting in 26 games and will be relied upon to log a lot of innings again this season. Aniela Wendt (.311/.380/.367) and Jayme Wiebold (.310/.383/.417) return after solid seasons to add experience to the Grinnell offense.