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WICHITA, Kan. – The Friends University Softball Falcons have been chosen to finish third this season and received one first-place vote in the 2020 KCAC Coaches' Softball Preseason Poll, the league has announced.
McPherson College, last year's co-regular season champion with Avila University, was again picked to finish atop the league for the upcoming season with 10 first-place votes.
Ottawa was selected second and snagged two first-place tallies. The Falcons were next, followed by Avila and Tabor College within the top five.
Kansas Wesleyan University was sixth, with Bethany College, York College, University of Saint Mary and Bethel College finishing the top 10. Oklahoma Wesleyan University, Sterling College and Southwestern College rounded out the poll.
The Falcons, under second-year head coach Suzanne Unruh, also finished third in the league last season with a 17-7 conference record, along with a 28-19 overall mark.
But once the postseason began, the Falcons took off by knocking off the top two seeds in the tourney in McPherson College and then Avila University to win the KCAC conference tournament championship.
The tourney title clinched an NAIA National Tournament berth and continued the Falcons' fabulous run down the stretch, where they concluded the regular season with 14 wins in their last 17 games.
A big part of the Falcons' strong play down the stretch was first-team All-KCAC pitcher Hali Walters (JR/Longmont, Colo.), who returns this season after going 10-1 with 66 strikeouts and a miniscule 0.83 ERA during the month of April. Walters led the KCAC in wins (19) last year and ranked third in the league in strikeouts per game (6.70) and fifth in ERA (2.58).
Kat Davis (SO/Keller, Texas), a second-team all-conference performer and the KCAC Freshman of the Year, will also bolster the Falcons' chances this season. Davis finished second on the team in both hitting (.423) and RBIs (32) in the 2019 campaign.
For the complete KCAC Softball preseason poll, click HERE.
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McPherson College, last year's co-regular season champion with Avila University, was again picked to finish atop the league for the upcoming season with 10 first-place votes.
Ottawa was selected second and snagged two first-place tallies. The Falcons were next, followed by Avila and Tabor College within the top five.
Kansas Wesleyan University was sixth, with Bethany College, York College, University of Saint Mary and Bethel College finishing the top 10. Oklahoma Wesleyan University, Sterling College and Southwestern College rounded out the poll.
The Falcons, under second-year head coach Suzanne Unruh, also finished third in the league last season with a 17-7 conference record, along with a 28-19 overall mark.
But once the postseason began, the Falcons took off by knocking off the top two seeds in the tourney in McPherson College and then Avila University to win the KCAC conference tournament championship.
The tourney title clinched an NAIA National Tournament berth and continued the Falcons' fabulous run down the stretch, where they concluded the regular season with 14 wins in their last 17 games.
A big part of the Falcons' strong play down the stretch was first-team All-KCAC pitcher Hali Walters (JR/Longmont, Colo.), who returns this season after going 10-1 with 66 strikeouts and a miniscule 0.83 ERA during the month of April. Walters led the KCAC in wins (19) last year and ranked third in the league in strikeouts per game (6.70) and fifth in ERA (2.58).
Kat Davis (SO/Keller, Texas), a second-team all-conference performer and the KCAC Freshman of the Year, will also bolster the Falcons' chances this season. Davis finished second on the team in both hitting (.423) and RBIs (32) in the 2019 campaign.
For the complete KCAC Softball preseason poll, click HERE.
Continue reading...