LOUISVILLE, KY.-- Trine's softball team is ranked ninth in the nation in the 2014 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III Preseason Softball rankings, which were released Wednesday.
The Thunder received 123 points in the poll. Trine is coming off their second-consecutive MIAA-championship and finished last season 38-5, advancing to the NCAA Regional Tournament for the seventh-consecutive season. The Thunder have won the MIAA regular-season or tournament title in every season during that stretch. The team's returners include an All-American, an Academic All-American, three NFCA All-Region performers and six All-MIAA honorees. The NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll is selected by eight NCAA Division III head coaches representing the eight NCAA regions.
Headlining Trine's returners is NFCA All-American outfielder Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey). The junior hit a team-best .464 to go along with three homers, 36 RBI's and 40 steals last season. Junior pitcher Bree Fuller (Hubbardston, Mich./Fulton) was named the first Capital One All-American® in Trine softball history last season. Fuller struck out 136 batters in 104 innings and tossed a no-hitter against Beloit during the 2013 campaign.
In addition to Searles, the Thunder return NFCA All-Central Region designated player Amy Newell (Three Rivers, Mich./Three Rivers) and third baseman Rachel Harris (Uniontown, Ohio/Hoover). Harris is Trine's returning leader in the power department after slugging 13 home runs a year ago, while Newell added eight homers and 44 RBI's.
Returning All-MIAA performers include first-teamers Searles, Harris and Fuller, as well as second-team shortstop Haleigh Daniels (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton), Newell and second baseman Kaitlyn Clark (Mount Juliet, Tenn./Wilson Central).
As a team, Trine led Division III in scoring, home runs per game and slugging percentage. The team was also second in batting average and triples per game, and sixth in doubles per game and winning percentage.
Trine will open the season Sunday, Mar. 2 at the Dot Richardson Spring Invitational in Clermont, Fla. The Thunder will open with no. 24 Coe and face Illinois College on the opening day of the tournament. The team's home opener will come Saturday, Mar. 15 when they host Bluffton.
Trine University is a member of the nation's oldest athletic conference, the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). Located in Angola, Ind., Trine University is home to more than 600 student-athletes who compete in 21 varsity sports.