SPOKANE, Wash. – A year ago just two games separated the top four teams in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference softball race.
Western Washington won the conference title (and the GNAC's automatic berth in the NCAA Division II West Regionals), edging Western Oregon by one game.
But, it was Seattle University, which tied for third with Central Washington, that made the biggest splash in the post-season.
The Redhawks, who came into the eight-team tournament seeded eighth, won five games at the regional before losing to second-seed and host Cal State Stanislaus 1-0 in the title game.
With eight starters and seven all-stars among 13 returning letter winners, Seattle U. hopes to make another run at the regional title this spring in its final season at Division II before joining Division I next season.
The Redhawks received four of seven first-place votes in the annual GNAC Coaches poll and outpointed Western Washington, which received the three remaining first-place votes, 49-39 in the balloting.
Western Oregon, which led the race until the final weekend last season, finished third in the balloting, edging Central Washington 34-30.
Montana State Billings, which finished third in the Heartland Conference a year ago before making the move to the GNAC, finished fifth with 27 points.
Saint Martin's and Northwest Nazarene, which combined for just 10 wins last season, were sixth and seventh in the balloting.
Every team in the conference returns a majority of their key players and could be improved from a year ago.
In addition to the Redhawks, four other teams return at least eight starters.
Northwest Nazarene and Western Oregon each have nine starters back, while Saint Martin's and Montana State Billings each return eight.
Only Western Washington and Central Washington, have fewer than eight. They each have five.
One of WWU's returning starters is catcher Liza Teichler (5-5, Sr., Sammamish, WA – Skyline), who batted .368 last season and had four home runs and 40 RBI and was selected the GNAC Player-of-the-Year.
She finished third in the conference in hitting and tied for the lead in runs batted in.
Teichler is one of 10 first team all-stars (out of a total of 14) returning from a year ago, including four from Seattle University.
Returning first team all-stars for the Redhawks include pitcher Erin Martin (5-7, Sr., Valencia, CA), who led the GNAC with a 22-9 record and a 1.63 earned run average, shortstop Megan MacIsaac (5-10, Jr., Santa Barbara, CA – Dos Pueblos) and outfielders Katie Petersen (5-6, So., Mission Viejo, CA – Tesoro) and Brenda Stice (5-6, Sr., Poulsbo, WA – North Kitsap).
The Redhawks will also welcome back second baseman Jane Purdy (5-5, Sr., Missoula, MT – Sentinel), who batted .405 and had seven home runs and 28 RBI prior to missing all but four games of the conference season because of an injury.
Purdy is the GNAC's all-time career leader in batting (.421) and slugging (.784) and was a two-time first-time all-star selection in 2005 and 2006 as well as the GNAC Player-of-the-Year in her freshman season.
Outfielder Katie Antich (5-6, So., Spokane, WA – Gonzaga Prep) earned second team all-star honors and catcher-third baseman Kaha Weir (5-3, Jr., Honolulu, HI – Punahou School) and Purdy were honorable mention selections a year ago.
Western Oregon and Central Washington each return two first team all-stars from a year ago.
Back for the Wolves is shortstop Tyler Sutherland (5-3, So., Gold Hill, OR – Crater) and third baseman Trina Dorn (5-4, Sr., Henderson, NV – Green Valley).
Sutherland finished second in the GNAC in hitting (.377) in earning GNAC Freshman-of-the-Year honors, while Dorn finished 10th with a .324 average.
The Wolves, who have a league-best 16 returning letter winners, also return two second-team all-stars – catcher Krysta Pennington (5-6, So., Kent, WA – Kentwood), who ranked fourth in hitting in the conference with a .365 average, and outfielder Jamie Becker (5-6, Sr., Salem, OR – West Salem & Chemeketa).
Also back for the Wolves is pitcher Cristina Cooke (5-2, Sr., Tualatin, OR), who was an honorable mention all-conference selection.
Central Washington returns the 2007 GNAC batting champion in outfielder Kasey Druffel (5-6, Sr., Colton, WA – North Idaho).
Druffel batted .416 and also led the conference in on base percentage (.441) in earning GNAC Newcomer-of-the-Year honors.
The Wildcats also return first baseman Mallory Holtman (5-9, Sr., White Salmon, WA – Columbia), who finished seventh in the conference in batting (.340), third in home runs (8) and sixth in RBI (32).
Holtman, who has 25 career home runs (eight short of the GNAC record), could become the first player in conference history to earn first team all-conference honors four times.
The Wildcats also return two other all-stars – infielder Logan Mohr (5-5, Sr., Bainbridge Island, WA – LCC), who was a second team all-star selection at second base and finished sixth in the conference in hitting with a .343 average, and shortstop Liz Wallace (5-6, Jr., Florence, MT – Florence-Carlton), who earned honorable mention honors.
Northwest Nazarene second baseman Vanessa Shaw (5-3, Jr., Helena, MT – Capital) and Teichler complete the list of returning first team all-stars.
Shaw led NNU with a .321 average and had eight home runs and 23 RBI a year ago. The Crusaders also return catcher Katie Free (5-7, Sr., Nampa, ID – Shasta College), who was a second team all-star pick.
In addition to Teichler, two other Western Washington players were all-stars. Megan Flem (6-0, So., Hood River, OR – Hood River Valley), who batted .260 and tied for the GNAC lead with nine home runs, was a second team selection at third base.
Flem, who finished third in the conference in RBI last season with 37, will switch to first base this season.
Pitcher Sarah McEnroe (5-8, So., Woodinville, WA), who had a 12-3 record and a 2.43 earned run average, was an honorable mention selection in the GNAC and later was selected to the second team NFCA West Region team.
Saint Martin's is the only team in the conference without a returning first team all-star, but among its 10 returning letter winners are two second team all-stars - third baseman Holly Morris (5-10, Jr., Richland, WA) and outfielder Kirstin Davidson (5-8, So., Central Point, OR – Crater) - and two returning honorable mention all-stars - catcher Danni Ballard (5-7, So., Sumner, WA) and shortstop Kristi Sigafoos (5-2, So., Federal Way, WA – Jefferson).
Newcomer Montana State Billings also has a solid nucleus of veterans. Of its 11 returning players, four were all-stars in the Heartland Conference.
Terina Stacks (5-7, Jr., Washougal, WA), who started in the outfield in addition to pitching; shortstop Jessica Frank (5-4, Sr., Great Falls, MT – C.M. Russell) and third baseman Leslie Davis (5-8, Jr., Federal Way, WA) all earned first team honors.
Stacks batted .410 and had six home runs and 35 RBI in addition to recording a 6-4 record on the mound. Frank batted .345 and Davis hit .288 with five home runs and 26 RBI.
Second baseman Jenna Haacke (5-9, Sr., Billings, MT – Senior) was a second team Heartland all-star. She batted .265 and had three home runs and 21 RBI.
The 2008 season gets underway for Seattle University and Northwest Nazarene next week.
The Redhawks travel to Turlock, Calif., to compete in the Cal State Stanislaus Best of the West Invitational, Feb. 1-3. The Crusaders visit St. George, Utah, for a pair of games each with Dixie State and Cal Baptist in the Dixie State Red Rock Invitational.
Saint Martin's opens its season Feb. 10 at home in a non-conference doubleheader against Seattle University.
Three conference teams – Central Washington, Montana State Billings and Western Washington - make their season debuts Feb. 14 in Phoenix, Ariz., in the Schutt Sports Division II Leadoff Classic. SMU is also entered in that tournament.
Western Oregon is the last conference team to make their debut, traveling to Arcata, Calif., for the Humboldt Best of the West tournament on Feb. 23.
All seven conference teams, along with Sonoma State from the CCAA, will compete in the Clarion Hotel CWU Invitational, beginning Feb. 28 at Richland.
