TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) -- The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) released its 2023 Softball Preseason Poll and Players to Watch list Thursday and defending champion Waynesburg (Pa.) University earned the top spot in the rankings.
The annual preseason poll collects votes from each of the conference's 11 head coaches.
Waynesburg, who was picked seventh in last year's preseason poll, earned the top spot this year after gathering seven first-place votes and 97 points. The Yellow Jackets, who were the second seed in the 2022 PAC Tournament, claimed their second PAC crown in program history and first since 1993 by posting a 3-0 record in the Championships, capped by a 3-1 win over top-seed and host Westminster College in the title game.
With the tournament championship, Waynesburg and fourth-year head coach Brett Shimek, who was named the 2022 PAC Coach of the Year, earned a berth in the NCAA Regionals. The Yellow Jackets would drop their first two games, but not before giving third-ranked Eastern Connecticut State all they could handle before ECSU escaped with a 4-3 win.
Westminster and 27th-year head coach Jan Reddinger placed second in this year's poll, collecting three first-place votes and 93 points. The Titans earned the top seed in last year's PAC Tournament with a 16-2 conference record and finished the year with a 31-6 mark.
Third through fifth places in the poll were seperated by a mere two points, with Bethany College scoring 68 points to place third and edge out Saint Vincent in fourth place with 67 points and Geneva College in fifth with 66 points. Geneva also had one first-place vote.
Coming in sixth place was Grove City College with 53 points and Allegheny College, playing its first season in the PAC after coming over from the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), was seventh with 52 points. In eighth place was Washington & Jefferson College with 41 points, followed by Chatham University in ninth (35), Thiel College (19) and Franciscan University (14).
The Players to Watch List is highlighted by the major award winners from the 2022 season. Waynesburg sophomore left-hander Sydney Wilson (Pentress, W.Va. | Clay-Battelle) earned numerous recognitions, including PAC Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year, PAC Tournament Most Outstanding Performer and later added ECAC Division III Pitcher of the Year. Wilson led the league in wins (18), shutouts (six), complete games (21), earned-run average (1.16) and opposing batting average (.200) while finishing second in the PAC in strikeouts (152) and innings pitched (157.1).
Also returning is last year's PAC Player of the Year in Franciscan sophomore infielder Kimberly McDaniels (Tucson, Ariz. | Salpointe Catholic). McDaniels hit .422 over 28 games (28 starts) for Franciscan and finished with 13 doubles, two home runs, nine RBIs and 19 runs scored. She also posted a .485 on-base percentage and .633 slugging percentage.
This year’s six-team PAC Softball Championship Tournament is scheduled to get underway Monday, May 1 with a play-in series hosted by the No. 4 seed. The tournament's top seed will host the double-elimination tournament Friday-Saturday, May 5-6.
The winner of this year’s championship tournament title will secure the league's automatic qualifying bid to the Division III Softball Championship, with teams and regional site selections announced on Monday, May 15.
Regional round play is scheduled for Friday-Sunday, May 19-21 and the Super Regionals will be played Friday-Saturday, May 26-27. The eight teams advancing from the Super Regionals will participate in the Division III Championship finals, slated for Thursday-Wednesday, June 1-7 at Taylor Field in Marshall, Texas.
| 2023 PAC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| School (first-place votes) |
Points |
2022 Records |
| 1. Waynesburg (7) |
97 |
27-11, 13-5 PAC |
| 2. Westminster (3) |
93 |
31-6, 16-2 PAC |
| 3. Bethany |
68 |
19-16, 12-6 PAC |
| 4. Saint Vincent |
67 |
24-10, 11-7 PAC |
| 5. Geneva (1) |
66 |
19-16, 9-9 PAC |
| 6. Grove City |
53 |
17-17, 10-8 PAC |
| 7. Allegheny |
52 |
11-20-1, 7-9 NCAC |
| 8. W&J |
41 |
11-15, 7-11 PAC |
| 9. Chatham |
35 |
12-22, 6-12 PAC |
| 10. Thiel |
19 |
8-18, 3-15 PAC |
| 11. Franciscan |
14 |
7-23, 3-15 PAC |
2023 PAC Softball Players to Watch
| Allegheny |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown | High School |
| Aleya Belardinelli |
So. |
P/2B |
Melbourne, Fla. | West Shore |
| Sofia Genareo |
So. |
1B |
Lakewood, N.Y. | Southwestern Central |
| Hadley Horensky |
Jr. |
OF |
Jefferson Hills, Pa. | Seton LaSalle |
| Cameron Long |
Jr. |
C/3B |
Midlothian, Va. | Midlothian |
| Samantha Dzierba |
So. |
P |
Coldon, N.Y. | Orchard Park |
| Bethany |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown | High School |
| Josie Wise |
Jr. |
P/OF |
Canton, Ohio | Perry |
| Destiny Goodnight |
Jr. |
Util. |
Youngstown, Ohio | Ursuline |
| Morgan Huey |
Sr. |
Util. |
Hermitage, Pa. | Hickory |
| Mary Marshall |
So. |
Util. |
Steubenville, Ohio | Steubenville |
| Brooke Marklund |
Fr. |
IF |
Elizabeth, Pa. | Elizabeth Forward |
| Chatham |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown | High School |
| Lauren Haak |
Sr. |
IF |
Hamburg, N.Y. | Frontier |
| Kaitlyn Collins |
Sr. |
Util. |
Red Lion, Pa. | Red Lion |
| Isabelle Griswold |
So. |
Util. |
Williamsport, Pa. | Williamsport |
| Mackenzie Dunn |
Sr. |
Util. |
Butler, Pa. | Karns City |
| Victoria Murren |
Fr. |
Util. |
New Oxford, Pa. | Bermudian Springs |
| Franciscan |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown | High School |
| Ariana Arnone |
Sr. |
IF/P |
Bellevue, Wash. | Newport |
| Kimberly McDaniels |
So. |
IF/P |
Tucson, Ariz. | Salpointe Catholic |
| Alexis McKnight |
Sr. |
1B/DP |
Venetia, Pa. | Peters Township |
| Clara Stephenson |
Sr. |
IF |
Aliquippa, Pa. | Quigley Catholic |
| Geneva |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown | High School |
| Sarah Johnson |
Grad. |
OF |
Highlands Ranch, Colo. | Mountain Vista |
| Madison Forsythe |
Sr. |
SS |
Trafford, Pa. | Penn-Trafford |
| Julia Hart |
Jr. |
1B |
Prospect, Pa. | Slippery Rock |
| Haley Smith |
Sr. |
P |
Joshua Tree, Calif. | Yucca Valley |
| Grove City |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown | High School |
| Janessa Dawson |
Sr. |
P/DP |
Zanesville, Ohio | Tri-Valley |
| Lexi Buck |
Sr. |
SS |
Akron, Ohio | Lake Center Christian |
| Maci Linhart |
So. |
2B |
Columbiana, Ohio | Columbiana |
| Saint Vincent |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown | High School |
| Alexandra Dillner |
Jr. |
OF |
Irwin, Pa. | Norwin |
| Jessica LaPorte |
Jr |
IF |
Green Tree, Pa. | Keystone Oaks |
| Olivia Persin |
Jr |
SS |
Greensburg, Pa. | Hempfield Area |
| Olivia Bushore |
So. |
P |
Claysburg, Pa. | Claysburg-Kimmel |
| Thiel |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown | High School |
| Dani Ficeti |
So. |
IF |
Greenville, Pa. | Greenville |
| Julianna Sloan |
So. |
Util. |
Kingsville, Ohio | Edgewood |
| Kylie Heid |
Fr. |
Util. |
Monaca, Pa. | Central Valley |
| Amber Wilkes |
Fr. |
OF |
Pittsburgh, Pa. | Peters Township |
| Kylee Yothers |
Sr. |
IF |
Indian Head, Pa. | Connellsville |
| W&J |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown | High School |
| Peyton Eckenrode |
Sr. |
SS |
York Haven, Pa. | Northeastern |
| Kasey Scears |
Sr. |
C |
Washington, Pa. | Chartiers-Houston |
| Waynesburg |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown | High School |
| Sydney Wilson |
So. |
P/1B |
Pentress, W.Va. | Clay-Battelle |
| Ella Brookman |
Jr. |
P/1B |
Washington, Pa. | Chartiers-Houston |
| Brin Hunter |
Sr. |
C/Util. |
West Alexander, Pa. | McGuffey |
| Sydney Senay |
Jr. |
3B |
Canonsburg, Pa. | Canon-McMillan |
| Reghan Benschoter |
Sr. |
3B/OF |
Newark, Ohio | Granville |
| Westminster |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown | High School |
| Maddy Brown |
Grad. |
P |
Lisbon, Ohio | East Liverpool |
| MacKenzie Latess |
Sr. |
1B |
New Castle, Pa. | Laurel |
| Brooke Atkins |
Sr. |
OF |
New Castle, Pa. | Laurel |
| Lexi Yates |
Sr. |
SS |
Oakdale, Pa. | South Fayette |
| Ashley Wire |
Sr. |
OF |
Poland, Ohio | Poland Seminary |