Bison Softball Picked Second in 2016 PAC Preseason Coaches' Poll
Feb. 12 – GREENVILLE, Pa. – Coming off a Presidents' Athletic Conference regular-season championship one season ago, the Bethany College softball team and 29th-year head coach, Jan Forsty, have been selected second in the 2016 PAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, announced the conference office on Friday.
The Bison, who return seven starters and nine letterwinners to a team that boasted a PAC best 27 wins in 2015, are coming off their best conference record since the 2011 campaign. Thanks to those numbers, the Green & White were selected second, earning 87 total points and three first-place votes.
The favorite in the 2016 Preseason Softball Coaches' Poll was Thomas More College. Last year's PAC Tournament Champion, the Saints earned 92 points and four-first place votes. After the Bison at two, Saint Vincent College (3rd – 77 points), Washington & Jefferson (4th – 73 points) and Westminster (5th – 63 points) rounded out the top five. The Bearcats garnered one first-place vote, while the Presidents procured the remaining two.
Geneva College earned the sixth-place spot in the poll (46 points) and was followed by Thiel (41), Grove City (34), Waynesburg (27) and Chatham (10).
Along with the poll, a list of "Players to Watch" was released, with four Bison earning the distinction. Seniors Marissa Bosley (New Martinsville, W. Va./Magnolia), Ashley Brill (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) and Kayla Kelly (Pasadena, Md./Institute of Notre Dame), as well as sophomore pitcher Cassie Weiss (Washington, Pa./McGuffey) were all named to the list.
Kelly is coming off her best season as a Bison as she earned First-Team All-PAC, Second-Team ECAC South Regional All-Star, and NFCA Third-Team All-Region honors following her junior campaign. The left fielder hit a career-best .381 while slugging .612 in 2015. She ranked first in the conference in total hits (53) while totaling a conference-best six triples, five doubles and five home runs. Kelly also ranked third in the PAC in runs scored (38) and RBIs (30).
Weiss earned a First-Team All-Conference selection following just her first season on the mound in 2015. In her first year with the Green & White, Weiss totaled a 3.28 ERA, earning seven wins while striking out 83 batters on the season.
Weiss showed her ability to be dominant in clutch situations for the Green & White, earning a complete-game shutout with 11 strikeouts in a PAC Semifinal matchup with Saint Vincent College.
Bosley, who has been a mainstay behind the plate for the Bison, enters her fourth and final season on the tails of her best year in 2015. Last season, the senior earned First-Team All-PAC honors, hitting a career-high .340 with 35 hits, 19 RBI and 18 runs scored. A solid defensive presence, Bosley tallied a fielding percentage of .991 in 219 total chances.
Entering her final season, Brill had one of her best years after moving to second base in 2015. Last season Brill hit .319 with 37 hits, 27 runs scored and 10 RBI.
The Bison, who will look to capture their conference-best 13th PAC Championship, will look to earn their first since the 2011 season. The Green & White will open their campaign on Saturday, March 5, with games against Washington (Missouri) and Case Western Reserve University.
