BISMARCK, ND – With two returning All-Northern Sun performers leading the way, the University of Mary softball team is projected to make the Northern Sun postseason tournament. The Marauders are picked to finish in a tie for ninth place in the 2018 NSIC Softball Preseason Coaches Poll.
Last season the Marauders finished 11
th in the NSIC and missed the post-season tournament by half a game in the standings. UMary graduated three-time All-NSIC selection
Taylor Mendez and Amber Gamboa, a two-time all-conference choice, but head coach
Kerry Shaw returns a solid group in his third season with the Marauders.
Senior
Colleen Crutchfield moved from splitting time at catcher and third base to full-time duty at the hot corner due to injuries on the team. The senior from Oregon City, OR., proceeded to hit a career-high .340 with nine doubles, a home run and 22 runs batted in to earn all-NSIC honors for the first time. She also posted a career-best .414 on base percentage. As a junior Crutchfield slammed nine home runs and has a .548 slugging percentage.
Sophomore center fielder
Rebekkah Keller led UMary in hitting (.356) and steals (22 in 23 attempts) last season, her first year competing in college athletics. The Apple Valley, CA, native was second in runs scored (34) and third in on base percentage (.409).
Kylie Alto, second on the Marauders in home runs (4), returns at second base for her junior year. Senior IF/OF
Madison McGonigal batted .282 last year and returns at full strength after injuries cut short the 2017 season, her first at UMary.
The Marauders look strong in the circle with All-NSIC selection
Brieann Backes and
Madison Jahner ready to throw the bulk of the innings. UMary posted a 2.87 ERA in conference action, ranking fifth out of 16 teams.
A junior, Backes had a 2.63 ERA with 12 complete games and ten wins in 27 starts to earn conference honors for the first time. In league games the Minot, ND, native was even more imposing, posting a 1.60 ERA, fifth in the league. Jahner, a sophomore, pitched three complete games with a 4.28 ERA and five wins in her rookie season.
Winona State is projected to win the 2017 NSIC title in the coaches poll, followed by Augustana, Minnesota State, Minnesota Duluth, Sioux Falls, St. Cloud State, Northern State and Southwest Minnesota State. UMary and Concordia-St. Paul are knotted for ninth, ahead of Minot State, Upper Iowa, Bemidji State, Wayne State, MSU Moorhead and Minnesota Crookston.
The Marauders open the season at the Desert Stinger in Las Vegas, NV, on February 2, 2018.
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