ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Bemidji State University softball team has been picked to finish ninth in the 2007 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Coaches' Poll, announced recently by the league office.
For the second straight season, BSU will be starting with a new head coach as former assistant Shane Veenker is taking the reins for the 2007 season.
The league coaches chose BSU ninth with 29 points, four less than last season, and seven less than eighth-place Northern State. With the addition of the University of Mary and Upper Iowa University, the NSIC has expanded to a 10-team league. Bemidji State finished 2006 in sixth place in the NSIC with a record of 3-11, 16-22 overall.
After winning the regular season title in 2006, Southwest Minnesota State has been picked at the top of the conference, receiving seven of the 10 first-place votes.
Also released by the NSIC today, sophomore shortstop Bridget Smith and sophomore pitcher Allison Willard were named 2007 NSIC Players to Watch.
ADVERTISEMENT
In her NSIC First Team All-Conference freshman season, Smith, who is a two-sport student-athlete, started all 38 games and was second on the team with a .328 batting average. She was also second on the team in runs (14), hits (38), and RBI (15). On the defensive side, Smith helped turn four double plays and finished the season with a .948 fielding percentage. Smith, also plays basketball for Bemidji State.
On the mound, Willard was Bemidji State's top hurler notching seven wins and a 3.95 earned run average. She notched 49 strikeouts in 92.1 innings pitched and held opponents to a team-low .241 batting average. Willard gave up just one home run on the season while pitching nine complete games and collecting two shutouts.
2007 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. SW Minnesota State (7) 88
2. Winona State (3) 84
3. Concordia-St. Paul 69
4. MSU Moorhead 66
5. Upper Iowa 54
ADVERTISEMENT
6. University of Mary 51
7. Wayne State 45
8. Northern State 36
9. Bemidji State 29
10. Minnesota-Crookston 18
