Softball Picked To Finish Sixth In G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll
2024 G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll
WRITTEN BY SPORTS INFORMATION INTERN, Hudson Harkness
MIDLAND, MICH. - The Northwood University softball team has been picked to finish tied for sixth in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC), according to the preseason coaches poll released Wednesday (January 24).
Northwood finished tied with Cedarville with 117 votes. Hillsdale finished first in the poll with 175 (6 first place) points, followed by Trevecca Nazarene second with 168 (6), and Ohio Dominican third with 165 (2).
When asked about his team's preseason expectations, Coach Sauve said, "Our team is more than capable of making some noise."
The conference includes two teams that earned NCAA bids last season, including G-MAC regular-season champ Ohio Dominican and tournament champion Hillsdale. Both teams are in the preseason top three. Thomas More is the league's newest addition, finishing 11th, and receiving 63 votes.
Northwood returns eight of their 10 everyday starters from last season's 34-24 overall team. The departures include All-Midwest region pitcher Hailey Leister, who accounted for 53% of the Timberwolves' innings in the circle and over 75% of the strikeouts last season. The other key departure is All-Conference shortstop Haley Frank. Frank had a fielding percentage over 94% last season.
Head Coach Greg Sauve enters his eighth season at the helm of the Timberwolves softball program and is, "...pleased with the players that have stepped up this offseason", said Sauve. "We had such a young team last year that the experience will help prepare us for this season."
The Timberwolves return two All-Conference honorees in Jillian Krawczak (outfield) and Ashley Ziel (designated player/outfield). Krawczak's break-out season last year saw a .464 batting average in conference play and a strong fielding percentage of .957.
As a freshman, Ziel led the conference in home runs with nine and topped the team with a .367 batting average. Other returners for Northwood consist of junior catcher Gianna Fantin, sophomore outfielder Ashlyn Lundquist, senior infielder Madison Jordan, junior Brittany Steimel, and senior Karlie Moore. These returners aided in 85% of the RBIs and 84% of the hits in 2023.
In the circle, "We have a pitching staff that some other teams would die to have," mentioned Sauve. Emily Cox returns for her senior season after putting up a 3.93 ERA in 35.2 innings of work last year. Brynn Polega will also see her time in the circle increase after posting a 4-5 record in 2023. Brittani Mutter's performance during her first season saw a 6-3 record with a 3.45 ERA. Other names to look for include Ziel and newcomer Kamden Binney.
The Timberwolves open the season February 16 in Smyrna, Tenn. with the Music City Invitational, where they battle with Ferris St. and Indianapolis on Saturday, followed by Ill.-Springfield and Davenport on Sunday (February 17) to finish the first weekend trip.
The Blue and White play Indianapolis twice during their first two weekend trips (February 16 and 23). The Greyhounds were one of the top teams in the country last season, ending the season No. 10. Also, 2023 National Runner-Up Grand Valley St. is on the docket (April 3) midway through the season. Other 2023 NCAA Tournament teams on NU's schedule include Ill.-Springfield (February 17), No. 12 Ala.-Huntsville (February 24), Mo.-St. Louis (February 25), Minn.-Duluth (March 8), and Saginaw Valley St. (April 26).
The 2024 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championship will be held May 1-4 at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio. The 2024 edition will mark the 11th annual G-MAC Softball Championship. The tournament will feature the top eight teams based on win percentage i