St. Scholastica claims top spot in 2016 UMAC Softball Coaches' Poll
ST. PAUL, Minn.---The College of St. Scholastica has established itself as one of the top softball programs in the Midwest over the last two decades with consistent appearances in the NCAA tournament and dominance in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC).
Though the Saints will see new leadership in 2016, one thing hasn’t changed – the Saints are predicted to claim their eighth-straight conference title. The Saints were a unanimous pick to finish first in the 2016 UMAC Softball Coaches’ Poll announced Thursday.
Jen Walter spent the last 16 years leading a Saints program that compiled 13 seasons of 30-plus wins and that made trips to the NCAA regional tournament in four of the last five seasons. In Walter’s final season, the Saints went a perfect 21-0 in the UMAC and 31-16 overall.
With Walter’s departure to the University of Minnesota-Duluth, former Saints assistant Rilee Dawson takes the reigns of the St. Scholastica squad for the upcoming spring. With a core of returning stars, Dawson is positioned to lead the Saints to their 21st UMAC title in program history in 2016.
Dawson will have more than enough fire power to carry the Saints through the spring with the return of 2015 UMAC Player of the Year Chrisi Mizera and three All-UMAC selections.
After being named All-UMAC and Rookie of the Year in 2014, Mizera grabbed the top conference honor as a sophomore for her dominant season on the mound. She captured 17 total wins and 11 victories against UMAC opponents while boasting a remarkable 0.67 earned run average (ERA) in UMAC play. The Saints’ hurler also shut out opponents a league-best six times and held UMAC batters to a .171 average at the plate.
Joining Mizera in the Saints lineup are two-time All-UMAC selections Nikki Logergren and Micah McGuiness. Logergren led the league in three hitting categories including 34 RBI against UMAC opponents, while McGuiness claimed top-five spots in several categories. A first-time All-UMAC selection from a year ago, Kara Warren also returns after leading the UMAC with a .547 on base percentage.
The University of Wisconsin-Superior was dubbed a clear second by the coaches collecting 57 points in Thursday’s poll. In their first season as a UMAC participant, the Yellow Jackets will look to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2011.
The newcomer Yellow Jackets return six starters from 2015 including a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) honorable mention selection in Shelly Misco. The Yellow Jackets’ strong senior class includes Misco and top hitter Brittany Thomfohrda who hit .312 last season.
The coaches selected the University of Northwestern-St. Paul to round out the top three with 46 points, while the University of Minnesota, Morris was a close fourth with 42 points. Northwestern returns eight starters from last season’s lineup after losing just two. Among those starters are first-team picks Jen Ankrom and Megan Threlkeld as well as honorable mentions Lauren Silbernick and Ann Lokke.
After placing second a year ago and taking St. Scholastica to a decisive ‘if necessary’ game in the UMAC tournament,Minnesota Morris returns seven starters to a core of young talent. Despite losing two starting pitchers, the Cougars should have a solid season with the return of All-UMAC selection Meghan Pomeroy and Honorable Mention Alex Anderson.
Bethany Lutheran College claimed fifth in the poll with 35 points, while Crown College was a close sixth with 32 points. The Vikings missed the tournament a year ago but should be back in the running with the return of 2015 UMAC Rookie of the Year Anna Pipenhagen who hit .380 with 27 RBI as a first-year.
Crown will also fight for a spot in the postseason thanks to the return of seven starters including All-UMAC selection Sofia Palacios and several upper-class competitors.
Martin Luther College was picked seventh with 22 points, while Northland College grabbed the eighth spot claiming 18 points. North Central University rounded out the poll with eight points in ninth.
Several UMAC teams open the season with dome games next Friday and Saturday, February 26-27. Conference play is slated to begin April 2.
2016 UMAC Softball Coaches' Poll
1. 64 Points – College of St. Scholastica (8 First Place Votes)
2. 57 Points – University of Wisconsin-Superior (1)
3. 46 Points – University of Northwestern
4. 42 Points – University of Minnesota Morris
5. 35 Points – Bethany Lutheran College
6. 32 Points – Crown College
7. 22 Points – Martin Luther College
8. 18 Points – Northland College
9. 8 Points – North Central University
Team Previews
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1. College of St. Scholastica
2015 Overall Record: 36-16
2015 UMAC Record: 21-0
2015 UMAC Finish: 1st
Starters Returning: 7
Starters Lost: 2
The St. Scholastica softball program enters a new era as assistant coach Rilee Dawson takes over as head coach for Jen Walter, who moved down the street to Division II Minnesota-Duluth.
Dawson inherits a loaded squad with plenty of talent and experience. A big part of that is the senior class that features catcher Kara Warren, pitcher/outfielder Micah McGuiness and outfielder Nikki Logergren. Warren and Logergren were all-region performers last season.
The Saints return nine players that started at least 25 games last season and also welcome back Hannah Borgeson, who missed most of last season due to injury.
Back inside the pitching circle is reigning UMAC Player of the Year Chrisi Mizera. Mizera was also an NFCA All-region performer last season, winning 17 games with six shutouts. Joining Mizera in the pitcher’s circle will be McGuiness. Also expect a talented recruiting class to make an impact early at the pitcher spot.
The Saints have made the NCAA Tournament four times in the past five seasons and have won seven straight UMAC regular season titles. CSS has not lost a conference regular season game the last two seasons.
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2. University of Wisconsin-Superior
2015 Overall Record: 16-18
2015 UMAC Record: N/A
2015 UMAC Finish: N/A
Starters Returning: 6
Starters Lost: 4
The Yellowjacket softball team enters its first season in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference with the post-season on its collective mind. Despite back-to-back finishes above .500 in 2014 and 2015, the Yellowjackets were on the outside looking in at the post-season in the WIAC. In fact, the last time the Yellowjackets tasted post-season action was 2011, meaning not a single player on this year’s roster has played playoff softball.
Leading the way for the Yellowjackets is a senior class that has played a lot of innings over the years. Katie Wilke (outfield), Shelly Misco (shortstop), Brittany Thomfohrda (second base) and Sasha Fjeran (infield) have been starters for the majority of their four seasons. Thomfohrda is the top returning hitter for the Yellowjackets, finishing with a .312 batting average in 34 games last year. Ciarra Taipale, who hit three home runs as a freshman, also returns.
Pitching duties will be in the capable hands of veterans Sarah Hendrickson and Macy Hanson. Hendrickson carried the load each of the last two years and a year ago started 21 games, going 12-11. As a freshman last season Hanson went 3-1 and struck out 33 in 29.1 innings before losing the rest of the season to injury.
At the helm for the Yellowjackets is head coach Roger Plachta. Plachta, who is starting his 16
th season with the Yellowjackets, is the all-time wins leader among softball coaches at UW-Superior and is just four wins shy of 300 for his career.
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3. University of Northwestern
2015 Overall Record: 15-28
2015 UMAC Record: 14-7
2015 UMAC Finish: 3rd
Starters Returning: 8
Starters Lost: 2
The Eagles welcome back a number of returners from a team that finished 14-7 in league play a season ago. UNW’s veteran lineup will look to build on last year’s strong conference season.
UNW loses only one everyday starter from 2015, while returning a strong nucleus of players, including Jen Ankro, Megan Threlkeld, Lauren Silbernick and Ann Lokke – who were all named All-UMAC in 2015. A healthy number of newcomers will look to come in and add depth right away, including Megan Thurow and Meghan Schoreder, who will strengthen the Eagles’ pitching staff.
Northwestern will open the season Feb. 27 at the Luther Invitational in Rochester before they head south to Florida for its annual spring break trip.
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4. University of Minnesota Morris
2015 Overall Record: 19-19
2015 UMAC Record: 15-6
2015 UMAC Finish: 2nd
Starters Returning: 7
Starters Lost: 2
The Cougars reached the UMAC Championship and were just one win away from a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Morris will return a lot from last season but the journey back to the UMAC Championship will be tough. UMM lost its two starting pitchers and All-UMAC player Molly Olson.
The young core of talent offensively will have to carry the load for a very raw group in the circle. Morris welcomes back to All-UMAC Players in Alex Anderson and Meghan Pomeroy but the other cast of characters will have to help those two out like they did last year. Morris hit nearly .300 as a team in 2015 and they will try to do the same this spring.
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5. Bethany Lutheran College
2015 Overall Record: 13-23
2015 UMAC Record: 7-14
2015 UMAC Finish: 6th
Starters Returning: 7
Starters Lost: 2
The Vikings 2016 softball team hopes to return to the UMAC Postseason Tournament this season after missing the tournament a season ago. In her fifth year at the helm, Renee Tatge will look to some familiar faces in hopes of returning to the top of the UMAC conference.
One of those faces will be sophomore pitcher, Anna Pipenhagen. The Elk River native will look to build on her outstanding freshman year in which she hit .380 with three home runs, and 27 RBI’s. The reigning rookie of the year, first-team all-conference, and all-defensive team award winner, Pipenhagen will be relied upon heavily on the mound this season after she went 8-10 with a 3.34 era while also breaking the school record with 207 strikeouts. Joining Pipenhagen on the all-conference team from a season ago was Cindy Pawlitschek. The sophomore catcher hit .314 a season ago to go along with three homeruns and 20 RBI’s. Pawlitschek will again have to be a leader behind the plate as she will be relied upon to control the pitching staff and pitch calling.
Other returning players to watch out for this season will Katy Snyder who led the team in stolen bases, Allison Norton, and the senior Dani Emkes.
New to the Vikings softball team this season will be Christina Wickingson who transferred to Bethany from Hibbing Community College. Wickingson, a two sport athlete at Bethany, had a decorated career while she was at Hibbing Community College. The Mason, Wis. native received all-region, all-conference, all-state, and all-american honorable mention honors a year ago. Wickingson will look to solidify a Bethany infield that committed 78 errors a season ago.
The Bethany Vikings softball team will begin their season on March 2
nd against Macalester before heading down to Florida to play seven games between March 6
th and March 10
th.
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6. Crown College
2015 Overall Record: 13-27
2015 UMAC Record: 11-10
2015 UMAC Finish: 4th
Starters Returning: 7
Starters Lost: 2
Coming off the program’s first playoff appearance of the school’s NCAA era, the Crown softball team will be looking to get back to the postseason in 2016. Crown is returning the vast majority of the starting lineup and will be hoping that the experience from 2015 will lead to continued progression for the program.
Crown returns the bulk of their offensive production, with middle of the lineup bats Sofia Palacios, Cassidy Valenzuela, and Sarah Petkau leading the way.
Crown also returns four other players who saw action in over 35 games a year ago in Marissa Becerra, Kate McLaughlin, Moriah Sawyer, and All-UMAC Defensive performer Janelle Williams.
The Storm will also return the majority of their innings pitched from last year, with Cearra Dulaney and Petkau both throwing north of 90 innings in 2015. Dulaney finished 8-7 in 15 appearances, with 42 strikeouts over 96.2 innings. Petkau won four games over 93.2 innings while also playing in the infield.
Crown has added four freshman to this year’s squad with Demi Brezina and Hannah Allebach looking to earn a role in the middle infield, Danielle Alvarado competing for time at catcher, and Liz King bolstering the rotation.
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7. Martin Luther College
2015 Overall Record: 13-8
2015 UMAC Record: 8-13
2015 UMAC Finish: 5th
Starters Returning: 5
Starters Lost: 5
The Martin Luther College softball team hopes to improve on last season’s 13-18 record and fifth-place conference finish in the second season under head coach Matt Pearson.
The Knights return four players with starting experience around the infield, led by sophomore catcher Jessica Friebe. Friebe earned First Team All-UMAC in her 2015 rookie season after hitting .338 with 15 stolen bases and a .442 slugging percentage. Kelli Doell will likely move to first base after leading MLC with 29 runs batted in last season at second base, while Megan Lemke returns at shortstop for her sophomore season after a strong debut. Janelle Radue started 23 games last season at third base and likely starts the season in that role, while Rachel Haugly enters the season as the favorite to start at second base. Freshman Kayla Rosenbaum joins Cassandra Doering and Lillian Herber as players in the mix around in the infield behind the experienced starters.
The Knights have work to do in the outfield, where they must replace three starters (Emily Waldek, Maggie Schultz and Sara Willems) with inexperienced newcomers. Freshman Audrey Timm looks to get the first action in centerfield, while sophomore Oliva Knudson will be joined by freshmen Chantel McGill and Amanda Schoch at the corners.
Senior Kathryn Marquardt returns for her final season in 2016 looking to add to her MLC-record 27 career wins. Last season, Marquardt finished with an 8-10 record and 3.88 ERA in 23 appearances. Doell served as the number two pitcher last season, finishing with a 5-4 record. The two veterans will be joined this season by newcomers Schoch and Rosenbaum, who both could see action as a starter or in relief.
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8. Northland College
2015 Overall Record: 9-27
2015 UMAC Record: 7-14
2015 UMAC Finish: 7th
Starters Returning: 4
Starters Lost: 6
The 2016 Northland College LumberJill team returns only four starters from last year. This means they will be looking for contributions from a number of newcomers. Overall the LumberJills will be looking to replace over half of its offensive output.
Leading returners are catcher Kaitlyn Witthun, and pitcher infielder Crystal Diaz who hit .347 and .359 respectively. Diaz logged the most innings in the circle as well for the LumberJills. Katie Groeschel and Erin Gilligan bring experience as regular starters in 2015. Heidi Guenther, who was second in innings pitched, and Callie Kopp who sat out last year after playing in 2014 are also expected to contribute.
Freshman Megan Mader, Caitlyn Severson, Erin Bergen and Alexis Headley will be counted on in their first season.
“It may take some time to see how we will fit together this year as we are somewhat inexperienced.” Said Head Coach Steve Wammer, “That said, we have a group that works very hard and has a team first attitude, combining that with some outstanding leaders will give us a chance to develop as the season progresses.”
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9. North Central University
2015 Overall Record: 6-24
2015 UMAC Record: 1-19
2015 UMAC Finish: 8th
Starters Returning: 6
Starters Lost: 3
Rams second year head coach Jesse Martens is eager to help the Rams climb in the UMAC Softball standings. The Rams roster is filled with young players willing to put the necessary work in to be a competitive softball program.
Freshman Nora Sullivan has the skill set to make a positive impact on the program's success in 2016. She looks to start out of the gate at first base to help solidify the infield. Her bat comes with power behind it as she looks to bolster the middle of the lineup. The young returners, now with a full year of college ball experience, are hoping to take the next step this year on the field. The Rams solid crop of returners and talented freshmen, look to be the building blocks to future success for Rams softball.
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