SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University softball team will expect to be among the top teams in the GPAC once again this spring. In the 2020 GPAC Softball Preseason Coaches’ Poll released on Tuesday (Jan. 7), the Bulldogs slotted in at No. 4. Head coach Shawn Semler’s squad accumulated 96 points in the poll, just one behind No. 3 Jamestown.
In Semler’s first season leading the program, Concordia went 28-12 overall and placed third in the GPAC with a 15-7 league mark. At one point in the season, the Bulldogs were receiving votes in the NAIA national poll. The 2019 squad placed five members of the team on either the All-GPAC first or second team. First team honors went to Hhana Haro, Tori Homolka and Brittany Woolridge while Camry Moore and Allysia Thayer garnered second team accolades.
The only one of those honorees to have graduated is Woolridge, who formed a strong pitching duo along with Moore. Haro and Homolka provided major production in the lineup while Thayer has been a steady presence at catcher. Haro was tabbed the GPAC Player of the Year in 2018. Concordia also brings back major contributors such as Kylee Nixon and MacKinsey Schmidt.
The 2020 season is scheduled to get underway on Feb. 28 with a doubleheader at Bethany College (Kan.). For a breakdown of the 2020 slate, click HERE.
GPAC Softball Preseason Poll
*First-place votes in parentheses
1. Morningside – 119 (9)
2. Midland – 107 (2)
3. Jamestown – 97 (1)
4. Concordia – 96
5. Mount Marty – 79
6. Northwestern – 72
7. Dordt – 63
8. Doane – 48
9. College of Saint Mary – 34
10. Dakota Wesleyan – 26
11. Hastings – 25
12. Briar Cliff – 20