2/7/2008 - NWC POLL: Bruins Relegated to 7th Place in NWC Pre-Season Coaches' Poll
2008 Northwest Conference Pre-Season Softball Coaches Poll
NEWBERG, Ore. - If the 2008 pre-season coaches' poll is any indication, George Fox University can expect to finish right where it left off at the end of the 2007 Northwest Conference softball season - in 7th place in the league standings. Fourth-year coach Mark Vergets, six returning starters, and several new faces in the Bruin lineup don't intend for that to happen.
George Fox, which picked up 15 points in the voting, is coming off a 7-29 season (5-23 in the conference). The Bruins lost two All-Conference performers in Second Team pitcher Kayla Winkler and honorable mention third baseman Nikki Morrison, but return two honorable mention All-NWC choices in first baseman Ashley Olson (.289-2-10) and catcher Kerstyn Tsuruda (.222-0-7). Also back from the regular lineup are outfielder/pitcher Torey Weatherman, outfielders Haley Harnish-Stadden and Erin Lee, and shortstop Amber Philliber.
Linfield College is a strong favorite to win the 2008 NWC title as the Wildcats not only prepare to reclaim the crown for the fifth straight season, but also get ready to defend their 2007 NCAA Division III national championship. Four-time NWC Coach of the Year Jackson Vaughan will have nearly every starter back, including infielder Jenny Marshall, the 2007 NWC Player of the Year, and Brittany Miller, the 2007 NWC Pitcher of the Year. Also back are First Team All-NWC utility player Erica Hancock, who led the NWC in home runs, First Team All-NWC infielder Amanda Attleberger, who led in triples, and First Team All-NWC infielder Meredith Brunette, who led in doubles. Linfield got six of eight first place votes and 68 points in the poll.
Whitworth University, which finished only one game behind the Wildcats in the NWC standings last season and set a school record with 30 victories, is second in the poll with 58 points and the other two first place votes. The Pirates welcome back All-NWC outfielder Halley Cey and First Team All-NWC utility player Lacey Parry among seven returning starters.
Pacific University is third in the poll with 46 points. The Boxers return two-time All-NWC catcher Caitlin Mastenbroek and All-NWC starting pitcher Miranda McNealy. Pacific Lutheran University is fourth in the poll with 39 points, followed by Willamette University with 33 points. The Lutes return Second Team All-NWC outfielder Heather Walling, while the Bearcats welcome back All-NWC utility player Nikki Franchi.
The University of Puget Sound is sixth in the poll with 27 points, followed by George Fox, with Lewis & Clark College coming in eighth (10 points). Whitman College is the only NWC member which does not sponsor softball.
The first Northwest Conference series games of the season are scheduled for March 1-2. Linfield is scheduled to visit Whitworth that weekend as the top two teams in the pre-season poll square off. Once again, conference teams will play each other four times each for 28 league games.
George Fox opens its season Feb. 15-18 in the Priscilla Benham Tournament, which will be played at several different sites in Oakland and Atherton, Calif. The Bruins will first take on Patten University in Oakland on Friday, Feb. 15, at 10:00 a.m. The Bruins' first home games are against Pacific Lutheran to open conference play on Saturday, March 1, a doubleheader in Newberg starting at 1:00 p.m.