Softball picked fifth in 2020 HCAC preseason poll

CARMEL, Ind. - The Defiance College softball team has been projected to finish in the fifth position in the upcoming 2020 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference softball season by coaches around the conference.

Defiance finished with 39 points in the poll, just four points behind Franklin. Transylvania earned six of the nine first-place votes and was picked as the favorite, followed by Mount St. Joseph in second and Anderson in third place. Hanover and Manchester are picked to be in a six-place tie, followed by Rose-Hulman and Bluffton.

The Yellow Jackets will look to build on the success from last season, returning a strong field of upperclassmen that went 21-18 overall, 9-7 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play, and earned the fourth-seed in the HCAC Tournament.

Under the guidance of second year head coach Megan Warren, the Purple and Gold will look to compete among the top again this season, landing five players on the 2020 HCAC Athletes to Watch list including senior infielder Brooke Gostomsky (Covington, Ohio / Covington), junior pitcher Taylor Biggs (Cincinnati, Ohio / Oak Hills), junior middle infielder McKenzie Baker (Bellville, Ohio / Clear Fork), HCAC Freshman of the Year sophomore Kalin Hubble (Anderson, Ind. / Anderson), and freshman outfielder Rylee Hershberger (Bremen, Ind. / Bremen). 

As a unit, the Yellow Jackets were near the top of the conference in offensive productivity plating 202 runs, 327 hits, 64 doubles, and 29 home runs. Hubble paced the way for Defiance with a team-leading 30 RBI, 10 home runs, and a .386 batting average. Gostomsky also found success at the dish tallying 23 RBI, seven home runs and a .312 batting average.

Defiance will start the 2020 season on February 22, as they travel to Rhodes College for a two day invite facing Fontbonne University (Mo.) at 10:00 am and Rhodes College (Tenn.) at 3:00 pm. On March 8, the Yellow Jackets will travel to Clermont, Fla. for the week to take part in The Spring Games, before heading back to Ohio to make their Sal Hench Field debut on Thursday, March 19 with a pair of contests against Heidelberg University.

2020 HCAC SOFTBALL PRESEASON POLL

(#) Denotes First Place Votes