LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After winning their first Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) title since 2009 and earning a bid to the NCAA Division III Regional Tournament, the Trine University softball team was ranked 13th in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Preseason poll.
Defending National Champion Pacific Lutheran University was voted the No. 1 team by unanimous selection. Trine was the only MIAA school to receive votes, and came in ahead of Ohio Northern who was the only other team in the region to be ranked.
The 2012 season was a record-setting year for the Thunder, posting a school record 40 wins, powered by a record-breaking offense. Almost the entire roster returns and is primed for a run deep into the NCAA playoffs after the season ended just a win away from a World Series berth.
The pitching staff will be its deepest ever, led by senior Andi Gasco (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) who is the first player in conference history to be named the Most Valuable Player and Pitcher in the same season. Gasco, an NFCA First Team All-Region selection, will be joined in the circle by three returners, including her sister, sophomore Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey), fellow sophomore Bree Fuller (Hubbardston, Mich./Fulton) and senior Ashton Morgan (Berne, Ind./South Adams/Wabash Valley).
The infield will once again be solid, led by First Team All-MIAA and Second Team All-Region catcher Sarah Belote (Bronson, Mich./Bronson). Three other starters return in the infield for the Thunder as senior first baseman Lauren Harris (Uniontown, Ohio/Hoover) joins junior shortstop Haleigh Daniels (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) and third baseman Jamie Lydick (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) to solidify the Trine lineup.
In the outfield, returners include Third Team All-Region selection Searles, junior Jillian Craig (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard) and sophomore Leah Hall (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central), who hit third for the Thunder most of last season.
The team will also feature two transfers in sophomores Amy Newell (Three Rivers, Mich./Three Rivers) and Rachel Harris (Uniontown, Ohio/Hoover). Newell spent last season at Division I Toledo, appearing in 21 games in the circle. Harris, the sister of Lauren, started 28 games at third base for Division II Fairmount State a season ago.
Along with a solid group of eight freshmen, the Thunder as poised to take home the conference title and another bid to the regional tournament.
The NFCA Division III Top 25 poll is voted by a committee of eight coaches representing the Atlantic, Central, East, Great Lakes, Midwest, New England, Northeast and West regions. For the complete 2013 NFCA Division III Top 25 Preseason Poll, please visit this link.