Concordia softball tabbed fifth in GPAC preseason poll
Head coach Frank Greene’s Bulldog softball squad has been placed at No. 5 in the GPAC softball preseason coaches’ poll, the league announced Tuesday.
Last season the Bulldogs were picked to finish third in the GPAC and went on to claim that exact spot with a 13-7 league mark. Only Northwestern (16-2) and Doane (13-5) finished higher than Concordia, which posted a 20-19 overall mark in 2012.
The Bulldogs must replace last season’s top pitcher Nicole Sempek, a first team all-conference selection. However, second team All-GPAC performers in third baseman Molly Madsen and outfielder Natalie Svoboda are back to form the nucleus of a solid lineup.
Morninside is this season’s preseason favorite to make the jump from fourth last year to the top of the conference in 2013. The Mustangs took seven of the 11 first-place votes for 95 points in the poll. Northwestern, Doane and Midland hold down spots two through four, just ahead of the Bulldogs.
Concordia will open its season on March 1 at the Friends Tournament in Wichita, Kan. Conference play gets underway March 23 when Dordt visits Seward for a doubleheader.
2013 GPAC softball preseason coaches’ poll:
*First-place votes in parentheses
1. Morningside – 95 (7)
2. Northwestern – 91 (2)
3. Doane – 76 (1)
4. Midland – 70 (1)
5. Concordia – 61
6. Dordt – 59
7. Hastings – 44
8. Dakota Wesleyan – 40
9. Nebraska Wesleyan – 38
10. Briar Cliff – 17
11. Mount Marty – 14