ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) released the 2024 Softball Preseason Coaches Poll on Thursday with the Bethany Lutheran College Vikings being predicted to win the regular season championship. The poll is voted on by all the head coaches in the conference. Coaches cannot vote for their own team.
The Vikings led the preseason poll with 49 points and all seven first-place votes from their conference competitors. Last year, Bethany Lutheran went 25-15 overall with a 20-1 record in conference play to win the UMAC Regular Season Championship; their second in program history. Entering the postseason tournament as the No. 1 seed, the Vikings defeated the Crown College Polars 12-1 and the University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets 8-7 in their first two games. BLC battled Wisconsin-Superior twice more, falling to the Yellowjackets 3-0 and 1-0 to finish the tournament as the runner-up. Returning for the Vikings this spring is junior Kayla Senne, who earned 2023 UMAC Pitcher of the Year honors after going 26-10 with a 2.34 ERA and 262 strikeouts in 209.2 innings pitched last season. Bethany Lutheran also sees the return of the 2023 UMAC Rookie of the Year as Emily Doyle looks to take another step in her sophomore season after hitting .428 with 19 doubles and 53 RBI in her first collegiate campaign.
The Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets placed second in the preseason poll with 41 points and the remaining first-place vote. UWS placed second in the regular season last spring with a 17-4 UMAC record while going 31-13 overall. The Yellowjackets were the No. 2 seed in the 2023 UMAC Tournament, where they won their first game 4-2 over the University of Northwestern Eagles before dropping their second contest 8-7 to the Bethany Lutheran Vikings. Wisconsin-Superior went on to triumph over Bethany Lutheran in the final day of the conference postseason, sweeping the Vikings 3-0, 1-0 to claim the UMAC Tournament Championship; their second in three years and their third in program history. Zoe Thomson returns to the Yellowjackets this spring for her junior campaign. Last season, Thomson earned First Team All-Conference honors after hitting .431, slugging .604, and driving in 55 RBI.
The Northwestern Eagles took third in the preseason poll with 39 points. UNW finished third in the 2023 regular season with a 16-5 conference record, going 23-12 overall. As the No. 3 seed in the UMAC Tournament, the Eagles fell 4-2 in their opening battle with the Wisconsin Superior Yellowjackets, though later took down the Crown Polars 11-0. Northwestern closed out their postseason run after falling 7-1 in another game against Wisconsin-Superior. This spring, Megan Lundt returns to the field for the Eagles. The senior catcher earned First-Team All-Conference honors last season after hitting .472, driving in 32 RBI, and scoring another 24 runs herself.
The
2024 UMAC Softball Tournament will be held Thursday-Saturday, May 9-11 with the No. 1 Seed hosting all tournament games. The championship is a four-team double-elimination tournament. The tournament champion will receive the conference's automatic qualifying bid to the 2024 NCAA Softball Championship.
2024 UMAC Softball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Bethany Lutheran | 49 (7)
2. Wisconsin-Superior | 41 (1)
3. Northwestern | 39
4. Minnesota Morris | 29
5. Crown | 24
6. Martin Luther | 17
7. Northland | 15
8. North Central | 10
(#) Number of First-Place Votes
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1. Bethany Lutheran College (49 Points, 7 First-Place Votes)
Dan Nessler | 8
th Season |
2023 Season
20-1 UMAC, 30-14 | 1
st |
Postseason: Defeated Crown and UW-Superior in first two UMAC contests before falling to UWS twice in UMAC Championship.
Top Returners
- Kayla Senne, Jr., Pitcher | UMAC Pitcher of the Year, First Team All-Conference | All-Region | 26-10, 209.2 IP, 2.34 ERA, 262 K’s |
- Emily Doyle, So., INF | UMAC Rookie of the Year, First Team All-Conference | All-Region | .428 avg, 53 RBI, 19 doubles |
- Kaija Mork, Jr., INF | First Team All-Conference | All-Region | .363 avg, .685 slg, 17 doubles |
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2. University of Wisconsin-Superior (41 Points, 1 First-Place Vote)
Melissa Fracker | 4
th Season |
2023 Season
17-4 UMAC, 31-13 Overall | 2
nd |
Postseason: UMAC Tournament Champions, NCAA Regional appearance (second in three seasons, fifth in program history).
Top Returners
- Zoe Thomson, Jr., C/INF | All-UMAC First Team | 2x UMAC POW | .431 BA, 55 RBIs, .604 SLG% |
- MyKenzie Leccia, So., UTL | All-UMAC Honorable Mention | 1.000 FLD% | .415 BA, 36 RBIs, .602 SLG |
- Larissa Snyder, So., INF | All-UMAC First Team | 16 SB |.351 BA, .504 SLG%, .415 OB% |
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3. University of Northwestern (39 Points)
Alicia du’Monceaux | 16
th Season |
2023 Season
16-5 UMAC, 23-12 Overall | 3
rd |
Top Returners
- Megan Lundt, SR, C | 2023 UMAC First Team All-Conference | 2023 NCCAA North Central Region Player of the Year, 2023 NCCAA First Team All-American | .472 Batting Average, 32 RBIs, 24 Runs |
- Jadyn Iverson, JR, 1B | 2023 UMAC First Team All-Conference, 2023 UMAC All-Defensive Team, 2022 UMAC Honorable Mention All-Conference | 2023 NCCAA All-Region | .446 Batting Average, 31 RBIs, 12 Doubles |
- Mikayla Gee, JR, 2B | 2023 UMAC Honorable Mention All-Conference | .400 Batting Average, 45 Runs, 24-24 Steals-Attempts |
Need to Know
UNW Softball returns everybody from last year’s team, having not lost anybody to graduation this past spring.
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4. University of Minnesota Morris (29 Points)
Heather Pennie-Roy | 26
th Season |
2023 Season
8-13 UMAC, 14-25 Overall | T-5
th |
Top Returners
- Mary Landherr, So., C/1B | First Team All-UMAC | .450 BA, 11 2B, .513 OBP |
- Tori Nichols, Sr., 3B | Honorable Mention All-UMAC | .408 BA, 8 2B, 25 RBI |
- Sierra Stevens, Sr., OF | .320 BA, 3 HR, 13 SB |
Need to Know
With only one of last year’s pitchers returning, Minnesota Morris will revamp its pitching staff in 2024 and look for contributions among its incoming freshmen.
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5. Crown College (24 Points)
Ryan Borde | 1
st Season |
2023 Season
9-12 UMAC, 11-29 Overall | 4
th |
Top Returners
- Maria Lilienthal, Jr, 3B, UMAC Player of the Year, .461 BA, 37 RBI
- Emmy Romportl, So, RHP/OF, .396 BA, 26 RBI
- Catelyn Garza, So, SS, .240 BA
- Abbie Carrol, Sr., RHP, 70 Ks
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6. Martin Luther College (17 Points)
Becca Doering | 2
nd Season |
2023 Season
6-15 UMAC, 9-26 Overall | 7
th |
Top Returners
- Lisa Hoffer, 5th year Senior, SS | 1st Team All-UMAC | Led UMAC in BA last season (.514), Led team with 26 runs scored, Led team with 54 hits. |
- Jordyn Heckendorf, Senior, CF | 1st Team All-UMAC, UMAC All-Defensive Team | Second in UMAC in BA last season (.500), Second in UMAC in fielding percentage (.991), Led team in RBI (26). |
- Jessica Horn, Junior, Pitcher/ IF| 13 Complete Games thrown, Third in UMAC in Innings Pitched (135.0), 4th on team in runs scored (16). |
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7. Northland College (15 Points)
Cora Zackrison | 2
nd Season |
2023 Season
8-12 UMAC, 10-20 Overall | T-5
th |
Top Returners
- Ariana Wilson, Junior, Pitcher/Corners | BA .370, |
- Izzy Peters, Senior, Infielder | BA .341, |
- Lenisa Tomasini, Senior, Catcher | BA .338, |
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8. North Central University (10 Points)
Matt Haefner | 2
nd Season |
2023 Season
0-21 UMAC, 2-27 Overall | 8
th |
Top Returners
- Delaney Riddle, 3B | 1st Team All-Conference | NCCAA 1st Team All-Region | AVG .450, 8 HR, 16 RBI |
- Carla Mendoza, P | IP 111.1, 60 K, AVG .286 |
- Aurora Prettyman, C | AVG .328, 12 RBI, FLD% .907 |
Need to Know
UMAC Team Sportsmanship Award 2023
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