Official Release
CLINTON, MS - The Mississippi College softball team has been predicted to finish fourth in the American Southwest Conference East Division, it was announced by the ASC office on Thursday (Jan. 28) after a vote of the each of the division's head coaches, sports information directors, and media members. The Lady Choctaws received 84 points in the poll.
East Texas Baptist University was picked to finish first in the ASC East with 132 points and nine of the 21 possible first-place votes. Texas-Tyler received the most first-place votes (10), but finished just behind ETBU with 126 points. Louisiana College was picked to finish third in the division racking up 117 points and the final two first-place nods.
LeTourneau University was picked to finish fifth in the East (53 pts.), followed by the University of Texas at Dallas (45 pts.) and the University of the Ozarks (31 pts.).
Hardin-Simmons, which went 31-12 overall and 21-3 in league play to claim its third West Division title in five season, received 140 points and all but four of the 21 possible first-place votes to be the favorite to repeat. Head coach Rita Jordan’s Cowgirls belted a league-high 14 triples last season and led the West with a 2.88 ERA. HSU won back-to-back conference titles in 2006 and 2007.
Howard Payne University was picked to be the runner-up in the West with 111 points and two first-place votes. Mary Hardin-Baylor held down the third spot with 104 points and one top-spot vote to round out what would be the division’s three qualifiers for the ASC tourney.
1999 ASC champion Schreiner University was predicted for a fourth-place finish with 81 points, followed by Concordia University Texas (78 pts.), Texas Lutheran University (50 pts.) and Sul Ross State University (24 pts.). TLU picked up the final first-place vote.
Wyly (Hardin, TX / Texas-San Antonio), a junior outfielder, was named ASC East Division Preseason Player of the Year after batting .395 and breaking ASC records for home runs (16) and RBIs (70) in a single season en route to earning newcomer of the year honors.
Henderson (Woden, TX / Northeast TX CC), a senior right-hander, was predicted to repeat her title of ASC East Division Pitcher of the Year. Last season, Henderson went 17-3 and led the league in ERA (0.37) and strikeouts (161 over 114 2/3 innings).
Clark (Eula, TX / EHS), a senior shortstop, is expected to repeat the title of ASC West Division Player of the Year. Clark hit .444 and led the conference with 67 hits, five triples and 102 assists in the field in 2009.
Greeson (Belton, TX / Centenary) a senior right-hander, was named ASC West Division Preseason Pitcher of the Year after going 11-10 with a 2.88 ERA and logging a league-high 138 1/3 innings last season.
Wyly, Henderson, Clark and Greeson were all first team ASC all-division selections last year.
The 2010 ASC season – the 12th in league history – begins as early as February 13. The ASC First Pitch Tournament, featuring all 14 league teams in cross-divisional, non-conference action, is set for March 5-6 at Oran Good Park in Farmers Branch, Texas. The six-team, double elimination conference tournament is on tap for April 29-May 1 at a Dallas/Fort Worth location to be determined with an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Softball Championship on the line.
2010 ASC PRESEASON SOFTBALL POLL
[Voted on by ASC Head Coaches, Sports Information Directors and Media Members]
EAST DIVISION
|
|
Team (first-place votes)
|
Points
|
2009 Record
|
|
1.
|
East Texas Baptist (9)
|
132
|
39-9, 21-3 ASC
|
|
2.
|
Texas-Tyler (10)
|
126
|
39-10, 17-7 ASC
|
|
3.
|
Louisiana College (2)
|
117
|
38-9, 19-5 ASC
|
|
4.
|
Mississippi College
|
84
|
22-17, 15-9 ASC
|
|
5.
|
LeTourneau
|
53
|
14-23, 7-17 ASC
|
|
6.
|
Texas-Dallas
|
45
|
5-31, 2-22 ASC
|
|
7.
|
Ozarks
|
31
|
5-35, 3-21 ASC
|
WEST DIVISION
|
|
Team (first-place votes)
|
Points
|
2009 Record
|
|
1.
|
Hardin-Simmons (17)
|
140
|
31-12, 21-3 ASC
|
|
2.
|
Howard Payne (2)
|
111
|
29-11, 17-7 ASC
|
|
3.
|
Mary Hardin-Baylor (1)
|
104
|
20-20, 13-11 ASC
|
|
4.
|
Schreiner
|
81
|
26-15, 15-9 ASC
|
|
5.
|
Concordia Texas
|
78
|
20-20, 11-13 ASC
|
|
6.
|
Texas Lutheran (1)
|
50
|
12-26, 7-17 ASC
|
|
7.
|
Sul Ross State
|
24
|
1-39, 0-24 ASC
|
2010 ASC PRESEASON SOFTBALL INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS
[Voted on by ASC Head Coaches, Sports Information Directors and Media Members]
EAST DIVISION
|
Player
|
Whitney Wyly, OF, Jr., University of Texas at Tyler
|
|
Pitcher
|
Ayrika Henderson, RHP, Sr., East Texas Baptist University
|
WEST DIVISION
|
Player
|
Courtney Clark, SS, Sr., Hardin-Simmons University
|
|
Pitcher
|
Kelsey Greeson, RHP, Sr., University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
|