Softball picked to finish tied for fourth in 2021 HCAC preseason poll

CARMEL, Ind. –  The 2021 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Softball Preseason Poll, composed of a vote of the conference's head coaches, was released by the HCAC office on Tuesday morning. The Defiance College softball program is picked to finish tied for fourth among the nine HCAC squads. 

Defiance finished fourth with 45 points in the poll and is tied with Hanover College. Transylvania was selected to repeat as HCAC champions with 78 points, last taking the title in 2019. Mount St. Joseph was slated to finish second with 75 points, followed by Anderson (56) to round out the top five. Franklin finished sixth in the poll with 44 points, followed by Manchester (28), Bluffton (18), and Rose-Hulman (16). 

Four Yellow Jackets find their names on the 2021 HCAC Players to Watch list including, seniors Taylor Biggs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills), Hali Geraci (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro), and McKenzie Baker (Bellville, Ohio/Clear Fork), and junior Kalin Hubble (Anderson, Indiana/Anderson). 

Biggs led the Yellow Jackets in the circle playing in nine games and starting in six. She led the team in innings pitched (46.1), batters faced (193), and strikeouts (30). The senior threw five complete games and finished the season with a 2.72 earned run average. 

Geraci was the starting shortstop for Defiance, playing in all 14 games. She recorded five hits and eight runs while leading the team with three stolen bases. Defensively, she registered a .924 fielding percentage with 25 putouts and two double plays.

Baker appeared in 12 games last season, making ten starts, splitting time as an outfielder and second baseman. She recorded six hits with five runs batted in, three walks, and one double.

Hubble played and started in all 14 games at third base for the Purple and Gold. She recorded a batting average of .353, leading the team in hits (18) and runs (13). The junior finished the season with four doubles, one triple, two home runs, and 12 runs batted in. Defensively, she had 17 putouts and 27 assists.

The promising 2020 Yellow Jacket spring season was cut short due to coronavirus, but under third-year head coach Megan Warren, Defiance finished 5-9 overall. The Purple and Gold are scheduled to play a 40 game season composed of conference, non-conference, and exhibition games. The 2021 season is set to begin with a doubleheader on Wednesday, March 10, at Wittenberg University. The first pitch is slated for 3:30 pm.