January 30

Yellow Jackets picked to finish fourth in the Heartland Conference

GREENWOOD, Ind. – The Transylvania University softball team has been selected as the favorite to win the 2006 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference softball title in a vote of league coaches. The Pioneers claimed 58 total points and six first-place votes in the Coaches Preseason Poll.

Bluffton University, winner of the 2004 title, placed second in the poll with 47 total points. Mount St. Joseph finished third in the poll with 45 total points and was followed closely by Defiance College with 44 total points and the final two first-place votes. Anderson University (35 points), Franklin College (26), Manchester College (22) and Hanover College (11) rounded out the poll.

Transylvania finished the 2005 season as the regular season champions, the school’s third title in the last four years. The Pioneers were 25-11-1 overall and 12-2 in conference play. They fell to Defiance in the HCAC tournament championship game to end the season.

The Pioneers return several key players from last season’s team including HCAC Most Valuable Player Andrea Fitzpatrick (Bowling Green, Ky./Greenwood). The junior shortstop set an HCAC record by hitting .625 in 14 conference contests last season. She batted a school record .495 overall and collected 41 RBI, 46 runs scored, 13 doubles, nine home runs and a slugging percentage of .946.

Also returning this season is senior pitcher Amy Meikel (Lexington, Ky.) who finished 16-3 last year with three saves and a 1.67 earned run average. She was named the 2005 HCAC Pitcher of the Year for her efforts.

Senior first baseman Holly Gibson (Greenfield, Ind.) returns to help anchor the infield. Gibson hit .423 with 43 RBI and eight home runs in 2005. Junior second baseman/outfielder Jessica Holloman (Louisville, Ky.) is also being looked to for another solid year. She finished the 2005 campaign with a .256 average and 38 runs scored.

Bluffton completed last season 22-13 overall and 7-6 in conference play. The Beavers will be paced by 2004 HCAC Most Valuable Player Sarah Betts (Bryan, Ohio/Bryan). The senior pitcher was 15-9 a year ago with a 1.26 earned run average. She struck out 160 hitters in 155.2 innings and will again be instrumental in the Beavers’ success. Fellow senior Lindsay Miller (Grover Hill, Ohio/Wayne Trace) and junior infielder Carrie Weisbecker (Okeana, Ohio/Ross) will also be looked to this season. Miller batted .242 with 19 runs scored last season and Weisbecker is the top returning hitter as she posted a .320 average with 15 RBI in 2005.

Mount St. Joseph finished third in the conference standings last season with a 10-4 record. The Lions were 18-14 overall and will be looking for their first conference title in 2006. Key players for the Lions this season will be senior outfielder Amy Sunderman (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley), junior outfielder Erin Brogan (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton) and junior pitcher Sheena Hundley (West Harrison, Ind./Franklin Co.). Sunderman hit .381 last season with 17 RBI and Brogan batted .333 with 12 runs scored. Hundley was 2-2 in the circle with a 2.84 earned run average.

Defiance has won the last two HCAC tournament championship titles, but will be looking for its first conference championship in 2006. The Yellow Jackets finished last season with a 28-17 overall mark and placed second in the conference standings at 11-3. They will be looking to a young nucleus this season to help them get back to the NCAA tournament. Junior shortstop Renee Steffen (Leipsic, Ohio/Miller City), all-HCAC pitcher/outfielder Alicia Allen (Grafton, Ohio/Midview) and reigning HCAC Freshman of the Year Kelsey Sugg (Archbold, Ohio/Wauseon) will be key contributors. Steffen hit .235 with 16 runs scored in 2005 and Sugg batted .361 with 29 RBI and ten doubles. Allen was 14-7 with a 2.57 earned run average.

The 2006 softball season opens on March 5. The HCAC portion of the schedule will begin on March 21 with the HCAC Tournament slated for May 5-6 in Indianapolis.

2006 HCAC Softball Coaches Preseason Poll

Team Points (first place votes)

1. Transylvania 58 (6)

2. Bluffton 47

3. Mount St. Joseph 45

4. Defiance 44 (2)

5. Anderson 35

6. Franklin 26

7. Manchester 22

8. Hanover 11

2006 Softball Players to Watch

Anderson: Amy Loehndorf – 3B (Jr., Milan, Mich./Milan), Lesli Randall – LF (Jr., Muncie, Ind./Delta), Dawn Sanders – 1B (Jr., Pendleton, Ind./Pendleton Heights)

Bluffton: Sarah Betts – P (Sr., Bryan, Ohio/Bryan), Lindsay Miller – OF (Sr., Grover Hill, Ohio/Wayne Trace), Michelle Motter – OF (Sr., Lakeview, Ohio/Indian Lake), Sarah Nusbaum – C (So., Sherwood, Ohio/Fairview), Carrie Weisbecker – IF (Jr., Okeana, Ohio/Ross)

Defiance: Alicia Allen – OF/P (Jr., Grafton, Ohio/Midview), Justine Johnston – P (Fr., Wauseon, Ohio/Wauseon), Brittany Sims – P (Fr., Ney, Ohio/Fairview), Renee Steffen – SS (Jr., Leipsic, Ohio/Miller City), Kelsey Sugg – C (So., Wauseon, Ohio/Wauseon)

Franklin: Jill Carson – CF (Jr., Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield), Danielle Gibbs – LF (Sr., Cloverdale, Ind./South Putnam), Rachel Turner – P (Jr., Washington, Ind./Washington), Heather Watson – 3B (Sr., Nineveh, Ind./Brown County)

Hanover: Meredith DeWit – P/SS (So., Fowler, Ind./Benton Central), Kristin Hollister – OF (Jr., Wheeler, Ind./Wheeler)

Manchester: Jenn Allen – 3B (So., Wheatfield, Ind./Kankakee Valley), Holly McEathron – C (Sr., Mill Creek, Ind./LaPorte)

Mount St. Joseph: Erin Brogan – OF (Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton), Rae Glassmeyer – OF (Fr., Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley), Sheena Hundley – P (Jr., West Harrison, Ind./Franklin Co.), Amy Sunderman – OF (Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley)

Transylvania: Andrea Fitzpatrick – SS (Jr., Bowling Green, Ky.), Holly Gibson – 1B (Greenfield, Ind.), Jessica Holloman – 2B/OF (Louisville, Ky.), Amy Meikel – P (Sr., Lexington, Ky.)