INDIANAPOLIS – Drury has been picked to finish 12th in the 15-team Great Lakes Valley Conference softball race in the preseason poll of league coaches released on Tuesday.
Coach Annie Medico's Panthers, in their third season of competition, return the majority of a squad that finished 14-40 last season - but most notably, also returns the large chunk of offense it lost due to injuries in the preseason a year ago with the return to health of senior standouts in catcher/infielder Sadie Ball and third baseman Stephanie Ray.
Ball hit .388 with nine homers, 44 RBIs and 25 stolen bases, while Ray batted .316 with 10 homers and 31 RBIs in Drury's inaugural season of softball in 2008. Ball missed last season with a knee injury, Ray with a shoulder injury.
The Panthers also return their top two pitchers in juniors Laura McCarthy (8-16, 2.10 ERA) and Kelsea Garthoff (3-6, 2.65 ERA).
The University of Indianapolis softball team has been unanimously selected as the favorite to win the league.The Greyhounds, who advanced to the NCAA Division II World Series in 2009, collected 196 total points in the annual GLVC Preseason Poll.
Quincy finished second in the voting with 171 total points and defending GLVC Champion Northern Kentucky rounded out the top three by collecting 160 total points. Lewis finished fourth in the voting with 159 total points and was followed by Missouri-St. Louis who collected 144 total points and the final first-place vote.
Missouri S&T garnered 115 total points to place sixth, edging Southern Indiana who finished with 114 total points. Bellarmine placed eighth in the poll with 105 total points and was followed by UW-Parkside (103 total points), Saint Joseph’s (87), Rockhurst (74), Drury (57), Kentucky Wesleyan (44), Illinois-Springfield (26) and Maryville (20).
UIndy posted a 37-21 overall record in 2009 and captured the Midwest Regional and Midwest Super Regional crowns. The Greyhounds placed third in the GLVC regular season standings with a 17-7 league mark and went 1-2 at the NCAA Division II World Series.
Under the guidance of head coach Missy Frost-Fisher, the Greyhounds return a pair of All-GLVC First Team selections, including junior second baseman Jamie Keltz and the 2009 GLVC Player of the Year Megan Russell. Keltz hit .274 last season with 26 RBIs, nine doubles and nine home runs. Russell hit .344 with 53 RBIs, 17 home runs, 10 doubles and a .699 slugging percentage. She was also 20-12 in the circle with a 1.39 earned run average.
Quincy, guided by head coach Charlene Obert, posted a 28-25 overall record and finished second in the GLVC regular season standings with a 15-6 conference mark. The Lady Hawks will be led by junior pitcher Torie Bunzell who posted a record of 23-13 and a 1.18 earned run average last season. She struck out 380 batters in 237.1 innings for the Lady Hawks to garner an All-GLVC First Team nod.
Defending GLVC Champion Northern Kentucky will look to repeat in 2010 behind head coach Kathy Stewart. The Norse posted a 32-23 overall record in 2009 and won the league title as the No.6 seed after notching a 13-11 conference mark. The Norse are led by junior pitchers April Ehlers and Chelsie Roy who went 19-13 and 13-10 in the circle, respectively, last season.
The 2010 season marks the first with the league expanded to 15 teams. Illinois-Springfield and Maryville enter the conference schedule for the first time, though neither will be eligible for the GLVC Tournament.
The GLVC Tournament will be held on May 7-9 at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, Illinois.
The complete 2010 GLVC Softball Preseason Poll follows. The poll is conducted by gathering the votes of each of the 15 GLVC member institutions’ head softball coaches. The coaches are prohibited from voting for their own institution in the poll.
Team Total Points (First-place votes)
1. Indianapolis 196 (14)
2. Quincy 171
3. Northern Kentucky 160
4. Lewis 159
5. Missouri-St. Louis 144 (1)
6. Missouri S&T 115
7. Southern Indiana 114
8. Bellarmine 105
9. UW-Parkside 103
10. Saint Joseph’s 87
11. Rockhurst 74
12. Drury 57
13. Kentucky Wesleyan 44
14. Illinois-Springfield* 26
15. Maryville* 20
*Not eligible for GLVC Softball Championship Tournament