Limestone College Picked to Win 2017 Conference Carolinas Softball Championship; Players to Watch Announced
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Limestone College was tabbed the favorites to win the 2017 Conference Carolinas Softball Championship, the league announced today. The Saints tallied 95 points and five first-place votes from conference coaches.
The Saints return a wealth of talent and will look to run their Conference Carolinas regular season title streak to four after going 34-16 in 2016, which included a 17-4 league record.
Pfeiffer University, the winner of the 2016 Conference Carolinas Softball Championship, enters the season ranked second with 88 points and four first-place votes. The Falcons went 39-17 overall and 17-5 in Conference Carolinas action. The 2016 campaign was a record-breaking year for the program, with the 39 wins being a single-season record and the team securing its first two NCAA Division II Softball Championship wins.
Placing third in the preseason poll was University of Mount Olive with 77 points. The Trojans went 16-6 in league play and posted a 33-20 overall mark.
Erskine College enters 2017 ranked fourth and only two points behind Mount Olive with 75 points and one first-place vote. Ranking fifth is North Greenville University with one first-place vote and 64 points, followed by King University in sixth with 56 points.
The Flying Fleet's 2016 campaign ended with a 27-20 record and 15-7 league mark. The Crusaders of North Greenville went 11-11 in conference play and 25-24 overall. The Tornado was 19-31 overall and 10-12 in Conference Carolinas action.
Belmont Abbey College posted 53 points to land seventh, while Barton College and Southern Wesleyan University placed eighth and ninth with 31 and 29 points, respectively.
The Crusaders of Belmont Abbey were 20-29 overall and 11-11 in conference action. The Bulldogs notched a 21-26 overall record and 9-13 conference record in 2016. The Warriors, who enter their first season of postseason eligibility in 2017, went 23-31 and 8-14 in league action last season.
Rounding out the poll in 10th is Lees-McRae College with 21 points and Converse College in 11th with 16 points.
The Bobcats posted a 10-36 overall record and 6-16 conference mark, while the Valkyries went 7-33 with a 1-21 league mark.
The 2017 Conference Carolinas softball season begins on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
2017 Softball Preseason Poll
| School (first-place votes) |
Total |
| 1. Limestone (5) |
95 |
| 2. Pfeiffer (4) |
88 |
| 3. Mount Olive |
77 |
| 4. Erskine (1) |
75 |
| 5. North Greenville (1) |
64 |
| 6. King |
56 |
| 7. Belmont Abbey |
53 |
| 8. Barton |
31 |
| 9. Southern Wesleyan |
29 |
| 10. Lees-McRae |
21 |
| 11. Converse |
16 |
2017 Conference Carolinas Softball Players to Watch:
Catcher (Year):
Olivia Lawson (Sr.) King
Noel Cassidy (So.) - Lees-McRae
Anna Ingram (Jr.) - Mount Olive
Rachel Crowder (Sr.) - Pfeiffer
Second Base (Year):
Sidney Smith (Jr.) - Erskine
Third Base (Year):
Sarah Tucker (Jr.) - Lees-McRae
Lizzie Fela (Sr.) - Southern Wesleyan
Shortstop (Year):
Brittany Jacobs (Jr.) - Barton
Tristan Harvey (Jr.) - Converse
Brittany Reynolds (Jr.) - Erskine
Summer Hayes (Jr.) - King
Vada Blue Sherrill (So.) - Pfeiffer
Outfield (Year):
Megan Kelly (Sr.) - Barton
Mia Blochaviak (Jr.) - Erskine
Hannah Devotie (Sr.) - King
Caroline Hill (Sr.) - Limestone
Bailie Maybry (Sr.) - Limestone
Kayla Allen (Jr.) - Mount Olive
Chandler Walker (Jr.) - Pfeiffer
Sara Sweatt (Sr.) - Southern Wesleyan
Pitcher (Year):
Marissa Steadman (So.) - Converse
Hayley Smothers (Sr.) - King
Kara Cunningham (So.) - Lees-McRae
Josie Weber (Jr.) - Limestone
Kennedy Lester (Sr.) - Pfeiffer
Conference Carolinas is a NCAA Division II athletics conference made up of 12 teams from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. These institutions consist of: Barton College, Belmont Abbey College, Converse College, Emmanuel College, Erskine College, King University, Lees-McRae College, Limestone College, University of Mount Olive, North Greenville University, Pfeiffer University, and Southern Wesleyan University. Emmanuel College is currently completing the NCAA Membership Process and will be fully competing in league championships in the near future.