ST. PAUL, Minn.---A lot that comes along with sports like softball is often unpredictable due to the nature of the games, and, well, nature. However, for the 2022 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) softball season, one thing is guaranteed – a new champion will be crowned this spring, and the conference coaches predict it will be a tight race to the finish in May.
Just four points separated the top three teams in the 2022 UMAC Softball Preseason Coaches’ Poll released Wednesday. Bethany Lutheran College was tabbed for the top spot with 45 points and three first place votes. The University of Northwestern also earned three top nods from the coaches with 42 total points, while 2021 UMAC tournament champion University of Wisconsin-Superior took third with 41 points and two top votes.
Bethany Lutheran was second a year ago and is well positioned to return to the top of the league since last winning in 2019. Two-time All-UMAC First Team infielder and 2019 Rookie of the year Zoe Kinakin returns after batting .426 with 31 runs batted in (RBI) to lead the Vikings in 2021. All-Defensive selection Eden Ambrose returns to the outfield to help Kinakin anchor a strong senior class for the Vikings who return their top seven hitters and one starting pitcher.
Northwestern will certainly put up a fight for the regular season crown. The Eagles haven’t won a regular season championship since 2008, but they have appeared in each of the last four UMAC tournament championship series and earned those titles in both 2018 and 2019. First Team All-UMAC Pitcher Briggs Carlson returns for her senior season to help the Eagles toward the goal of a regular season championship after posting a 2.93 earned run average (ERA) and batting .420 as a junior.
Under first-year head coach Melissa Fracker, Wisconsin-Superior showed out in the UMAC tournament to book the program’s second trip to the NCAA tournament since joining the conference in 2015-16. The Yellowjackets hope to find repeat success in Fracker’s second season with the return of four All-UMAC performers led by First Yeam pitcher Tayler kraner who had 112 strikeouts in 155 innings of work last year. Kaela Kraemer is also back after hitting .421 and being named to the NCAA Division III Wartburg Region All-Tournament team.
Northland College showed significant improvement in 2021 with a fourth-place finish earning the team’s first tournament berth since 2014. The LumberJills were slated fourth in the poll with 30 points and predicted for another tourney appearance. First Team selections Jenna Reyes and Kaylee Harnack will look to lead the LumberJills after each recording averages over .350 and 30-plus hits a year ago.
Martin Luther College and the University of Minnesota Morris are predicted to challenge for a postseason spot finishing fifth (23 points) and sixth (22 points), respectively, in the coaches’ views. The Knights hope Lisa Hoffer can repeat her First Team All-UMAC and All-Region season from a year ago after tallying a .462 average and 32 RBI. The Cougars will need a strong season from Tori Nichols-Kraft – who was a First Team honoree as rookie – to return to the UMAC tournament after missing out last season.
Crown College was picked seventh (12 points) and North Central University was eighth (9 points) to round out the standings. The Storm will have new leadership under head coach Ashlyn Englehorn, while North Central brings in a large class of first-year players to help the program continue to improve.
Several UMAC teams open up non-conference competition beginning Friday with dome tournament play, while the UMAC conference season is slated to begin Saturday, April 2. With eight conference teams this season, the UMAC schedule consists of 21 games per institution with each team competing in a doubleheader and then all teams coming together for two weekends to play a single round of additional games.
The UMAC conference tournament is scheduled for Thursday-Saturday, May 5-7 at the site of the No. 1 seed. The winner will earn the conference’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament.
2022 UMAC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
| Pl. | School | Pts. |
| 1. | Bethany Lutheran | 45 (3) |
| 2. | Northwestern | 42 (3) |
| 3. | Wisconsin-Superior | 41 (2) |
| 4. | Northland | 30 |
| 5. | Martin Luther | 23 |
| 6. | Minnesota Morris | 22 |
| 7. | Crown | 12 |
| 8. | North Central | 9 |