PORTLAND, Ore. – Following their seventh consecutive winning season, and entering the second year under the helm of
Jim Peterson, the Saints were voted sixth in the 2019 GNAC Preseason Conference poll.
COMPLETE RELEASE
The Saints return a core of GNAC All-Conference selections from last season, including second team selection pitcher
Lauren Maley. In 36 games, Maley went 16-14, with a 3.00 ERA and 52 strikeouts, all of which led her team. In the batter box, the Saints return second team outfielder
Lauren Diuco, who hit .310 on the season, with 40 hits, and was a perfect 18-for-18 on the base paths.
Adding to the core is senior shortstop
Sabrina Hicks and her .284 batting average, two home runs and 20 RBIs.
Nicki DeHan returns at third base with an impressive .313 batting average, 18 RBIs and 40 hits.
Rounding out the returners for the Saints include senior
Alyssa French, outfield, a trio of catchers in
Kylie Lopez,
Devyn Connolly, and
Julia Lucas, along with outfielders,
Regan Byrd, and
Emery Norwood. In the circle, the Saints also return
Jessica O'Toole.
Saint Martin's replaces four seniors, including first team All-Conference selection
Lindsay Miller, along with
Kim Nelson,
Tessani Dixon, and
Taylor Wolf.
Jim Peterson added seven new players, made up of four freshman and three transfers.
Brandi Schoessler (Walla Walla CC), and
Kimberlyn Tutt (Bellevue College) will add depth in the pitching staff, while
Emily Thornton will play in the infield. The freshman class includes
Kylee Vanderbout (Happy Valley, Oregon),
Trinity Favela (Ewa Beach, Hawaii),
Trinity Loeb (Happy Valley, Oregon), and
Gianna Marchese (Seattle, Washington).
Saint Martin's earned the sixth seed in the highly competitive conference, finishing only one vote behind 2018 surprise team Simon Fraser. The conference looks to be a battle between the Nighthawks (61 votes), and the Wildcats (59) for the top spot. Western Oregon and Western Washington follow behind at third and fourth respectively. Montana State Billings and Concordia round out the bottom of the standings.
The Saints begin the season on February 1 at the Desert Stinger Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. SMU will face five schools over the course of three days, starting with Stanislaus State at 2:00 p.m.
| 2019 GNAC PRESEASON SOFTBALL COACHES POLL |
| Pos. |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Overall
Record |
GNAC Record
(Place) |
Pts. |
| 1. |
Northwest Nazarene (5) |
31-23 |
19-9 (tie 1st) |
61 |
| 2. |
Central Washington (3) |
31-16 |
19-9 (tie 1st) |
59 |
| 3. |
Western Oregon |
28-25 |
15-13 (tie 3rd) |
41 |
| 4. |
Western Washington |
15-32 |
7-19 (7th) |
32 |
| 5. |
Simon Fraser |
21-19 |
15-13 (tie 3rd) |
29 |
| 6. |
Saint Martin's |
23-22 |
13-15 (6th) |
28 |
| 7. |
Montana State Billings |
23-24 |
13-13 (5th) |
24 |
| 8. |
Concordia |
20-28 |
7-19 (8th) |
14 |
Votes awarded on 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. |
