Softball Tabbed Seventh in PAC Softball Preseason Poll

Greenville, Pa. - The Bethany College softball team was picked to finish seventh in the annual Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll announced Friday afternoon.

Saint Vincent College topped the preseason poll this season while Westminster College was picked second and Thiel College is expected to finish third.

Geneva College was picked fourth followed by Washington & Jefferson in fifth and Grove City College in sixth. Bethany College (20) and Chatham University tied for seventh and Waynesburg University in ninth.

The Bison landed five on the PAC Players to Watch list. Senior Tyra Bell is expected to lead the Green and White this season. The All-PAC Honorable Mention finished the season batting .324 with 33 hits and 17 runs batted in. Bell was second on the team in extra base hits (11) and led the team with 10 doubles.

Junior Gabreilla Capaldi will return as one of Bethany's pitchers, finishing the season with 121.0 innings pitched, with an ERA of 2.49. She struck out 43 and pitched in four complete. On the offensive side, Capaldi finished the season with 16 hits, 10 runs, and eight runs batted in.

All-PAC First Team sophomore Jennifer Oberthur returns as one of the Bison's key offensive players. As a freshman, Oberthur finished with a batting average of .350 with 36 hits and 25 runs batted in. The Indianapolis, Indiana native led the Bison in multiple offensive categories including batting average, slugging percentage (.485), hits (36), runs batted in (25), extra base hits (11), and total bases (50). The rookie catcher ranked third in runs scored (13) and second in on base percentage (.374).

Freshman Angela Brandel and Tatum Barrass rounded out the Bison to watch.

Under first year head coach Cassie Moore, the Bison finished the 2019 campaign 10-22 (7-9 PAC). Bethany will open the 2020 season on the road on March 6, at the Virginia Wesleyan Classic against Greensboro at 10 am.