Stanek Named Preseason All-SAC; Lions Picked to Finish Eighth
The Mars Hill softball team was picked to finish eighth in the South Atlantic Conference in a preseason poll by the league’s coaches released Tuesday. Junior Robyn Stanek was named to the Preseason All-Conference First Team.
ROCK HILL, S.C. - The Mars Hill softball team was picked to finish eighth in the South Atlantic Conference in a preseason poll by the league's coaches released Tuesday. Junior Robyn Stanek was named to the Preseason All-Conference First Team.
The Lions received 52 points in the poll, two behind seventh place Lincoln Memorial. Mars Hill finished sixth in the conference with a 10-8 league mark and a 26-16 overall record in 2013.
Stanek was named to the first team as a third baseman after earning a spot on the 2013 All-SAC First Team. Last season, Stanek started all 42 games and led the Lions with a .372 batting average, .419 on base percentage, 11 doubles, five home runs and 41 RBI. Her .372 batting average was fourth best in the league. Stanek was a member of the Capital One Academic All-District II softball team as well as NCCSIA College Division All-State softball team.
Mars Hill raises the curtain on the 2014 season on Friday, Feb. 7 with a home doubleheader against Virginia Intermont at 1 p.m. The Lions will face five teams that qualified for the 2013 NCAA Division II tournament: Mount Olive (Feb. 9), Armstrong (Feb. 15-16), Anderson (March 19), Wingate (March 22) and Lenoir-Rhyne (April 12).
Lenoir-Rhyne – which tied for third in the SAC standings in 2013 after going 37-16 overall and 11-7 in league play – earned seven of the 12 first-place votes in the 2014 preseason poll. The Bears reached the semifinal round of last year's NCAA Division II Softball Championship southeast super regional.
2013 SAC regular-season runner-up Anderson is No. 2 in the poll, and received three first-place votes. AU earned an at-large selection to last season's NCAA Championship, where it advanced to the southeast super region final.
2013 NCAA Championship selection Wingate is No. 3 in the poll, followed by Catawba and Carson-Newman - which both received one first-place vote – in a tie for No. 4.
The complete poll and preseason all-conference teams are listed below.
2014 SAC Preseason Coaches' Poll
Team Points (1st-place votes)
1. Lenoir-Rhyne 127 (7)
2. Anderson 114 (3)
3. Wingate 104
4. Catawba 86 (1)
Carson-Newman 86 (1)
6. Tusculum 83
7. Lincoln Memorial 54
8. Mars Hill 52
9. Queens 46
10. Coker 35
11. Newberry 23
12. Brevard 12
2014 SAC Softball Preseason All-Conference Team
First Team
C – Laura Jansky, AU
1B – Danielle Swygert, AU
2B – Jessica Neidigh, AU
SS – Brittany Hefner, C-N
3B – Robyn Stanek, MHU
OF – Kelli Hensley, C-N
OF – Molly Child, AU
OF – Miranda Beeler, TC
DP – Kayla Saliga, WU
UTIL – Elayna Siebert, C-N
P – Carley Tysinger, CAT
P – Maryann Hoskins, L-R
Second Team
C – Taylor Laskey, WU
1B – Kaytlin Stroinski, TC
2B – Hayley Whitley, WU
SS – Alexis Burrell, WU
3B – Haily Jarman, L-R
OF – Brianna Mulkey, LMU
OF – Gabby Bedard, NEW
OF – Jody Mizelle, L-R
DP – Whitney Britt, QU
DP – Amanda Show, LMU
UTIL – Alyssa Miller, BC
P – Stacey Houser, WU
P – Brandi Hole, L-R
