Posted: Feb 11, 2009
SALEM, Va. --- Lynchburg College earned 97 total points and seven of the 10 first place votes as the Hornets were selected atop the 2009 ODAC Softball Preseason Poll in the annual survey of the league's coaches. Virginia Wesleyan College, last year's conference runner-up to LC, sits second with 81 points and one top tally. Bridgewater College and Eastern Mennonite University share the third position with 74 points, although the Royals did receive one first place vote.
Lynchburg (29-8 overall, 16-2 in the ODAC in 2008) won its fifth ODAC title in 2008 and made its first trip to the NCAA Division III Championship Finals in Salem, Virginia. The Hornets will be without former ODAC Player of the Year, Elizabeth Perkins, but head coach Dawn Simmons has plenty of talent remaining in the dugout. Sophomore Katie Bruce leads the list of returnees following her selection as ODAC Rookie of the Year and an All-ODAC First Team accolade last season. A double threat, Bruce went 20-5 from the circle with a 1.70 earned run average. In 169 innings of work, she fanned 90 batters while only giving up 41 earned runs. As a batter, Bruce hit .342 with five homeruns and 32 runs batted in. Tara Campbell (.361, 8, 31) is back at first base for another season, and All-ODAC Second Teamer, Brittany Allsop (.382, 7 doubles, 13 steals), spearheads the Hornets' outfield contingent.
Virginia Wesleyan (29-12, 14-4) looks for a return to the ODAC title game under head coach Brandon Elliott. Pitching should again be a strength for the Marlins as they welcome back ODAC Pitcher of the Year, Brittaney Brown. The Chesapeake-native went 20-9 with a 1.49 ERA while whiffing 168 batters in 178.2 innings pitched. She started and completed all five tournament games for VWC last season, picking up three wins including a pair of shutouts. Also back for another go-round is Mandy Nixon, an All-ODAC First Team selection. She finished third in the league with a .423 batting average while leading the conference with 24 stolen bases. All-ODAC Second Team choices Kristin Mundie (.372, 9 doubles) and Allison Cockrell (.320, 7 doubles) are back in the fold as well.
Bridgewater (25-15, 11-7) returns a pair of All-ODAC First Team stars in Caity Butler and Kaitlyn Bowman. Butler posted a .370 batting average with 10 doubles, eight homers and 42 runs batted in. Bowman equaled Butler's eight round-trippers while also recording eight doubles, 34 RBI and a team-best .403 batting average. Lindsay Lam, Ashley Gills and Becky Schmidt form a trifecta of solid pitchers at head coach Donnie Fulk's disposal.
Eastern Mennonite (30-13, 13-5) returns all three of its second team choices for head coach J.D. McCurdy's sixth season in Harrisonburg. Jamie Fraysher finished fourth in the conference with a 1.54 earned run average while posting a 9-5 record. Nicole Shelton hit .374 with a team-best 14 doubles, good enough for second in the ODAC. She also made only two errors in 266 chances at third base (.992 fielding percentage). Mandee Madden batted .352 with eight doubles and 13 stolen bases.
Roanoke (28-10, 13-5 ODAC) returns a strong pitching staff with Second-Team All-ODAC selections Kelsey Ruitenberg and Gretchen Wolfe. Ruitenberg, a VaSID All-State selection last season, led the team in home runs (5), RBI (48), total bases (69) and slugging percentage (.595). Wolfe led the Maroons on the mound in wins (11), strikeouts (69), complete games (10), innings pitched (110.2) and ERA (1.45). Sophomore P/IF Clarissa Norwich started in all 36 games as a freshman, as she batted .302 with 32 hits, 12 runs and 18 RBI. Jaci Clark (.300 BA) had 15 hits and 11 runs in 23 starts last season and is expected to lead the outfield this season.
Listed below is the entire 2009 ODAC Softball Preseason Poll. For more information, visit the ODAC on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.
2009 ODAC Softball Preseason Poll
(#) Denotes first place votes
|
School
|
Votes
|
|
1. Lynchburg (7)
|
97
|
|
2. Virginia Wesleyan (1)
|
81
|
|
3. Eastern Mennonite (1)
|
74
|
|
3. Bridgewater
|
74
|
|
5. Roanoke
|
67
|
|
6. Guilford (1)
|
53
|
|
7. Randolph-Macon
|
40
|
|
8. Emory & Henry
|
28
|
|
9. Randolph
|
18
|
|
9. Sweet Briar
|
18
|
