Fontbonne Looks to Repeat in 2012

St. Louis, Mo. – Defending St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) regular season and tournament champion Fontbonne University has been chosen as the pre-season favorite in the SLIAC Softball Pre-Season Coaches' Poll. The Griffins received five first place votes and had a total of 53 points.

Fontbonne went 29-10 in 2011 and captured their seventh regular season and fifth SLIAC Tournament Championship overall. They finished the season 15-1 in conference play. Head coach Bill Rosner returns two All-SLIAC pitchers from last year's squad in junior Kourtney VonBehren and sophomore Rachel McCarthy. VonBehren was Second Team All-SLIAC in 2011 and went 10-2 on the mound with a 2.29 ERA in 79.1 innings pitched. She recorded five complete games, three shutouts and struck out 88 batters. McCarthy was a First Team All-SLIAC honoree as a freshman after posting a 2.13 ERA in 108.2 innings of work. She went 12-2 on the mound with seven complete games, two saves, one shuout and 107 strikeouts. The Griffins will also look to the leadership of senior Samantha Rosner on the field. Rosner, a catcher, returns after hitting .278 at the plate last season with 27 hits, 15 RBI, three doubles and 14 stolen bases.

Also receiving two first place votes in the poll was Webster University. The Gorloks went 13-3 in SLIAC play last season and finished 25-15 overall. Two of Webster's top returning players include 2011 First Team All-SLIAC players Kristie Konersmann and Hanna Brindisi. Konersmann, a second baseman, recorded a .333 batting average with 41 hits, 21 RBI, 13 doubles and two home runs. Brindisi was an at-large All-SLIAC selection and hit .328 at the plate with 38 hits, 10 doubles and a team-high 45 RBI and nine home runs. The Gorloks also return Honorable Mention All-SLIAC honoree Jessica Arcangel at shortstop. She brings a .356 batting average, 42 hits, 27 RBI, five doubles and four home runs from last season.

Spalding University was selected to finish third among the league coaches and received one first place vote. The Golden Eagles went 21-14 overall in 2011 and 11-5 in the conference. First Team All-SLIAC utility player, Tia McIntosh, and Honorable Mention All-SLIAC at-large player, Rena Philpot, both return on the mound. McIntosh went 10-6 with 10 complete games and two shutouts in 2011. She also posted a 2.73 ERA in 100.0 innings pitched and struck out a total of 106 batters. Philpot was 8-4 on the mound with a 2.88 ERA in 97.1 innings pitched and 93 strikeouts.

Blackburn College, Eureka College and Greenville College were ranked fourth, fifth and sixth respectively by the SLIAC Coaches. Blackburn (19-20, 8-8) lost the 2011 Player of the Year Grace Young to graduation, but head coach Ryan Sackett will look to senior Bryana Garcia and sophomore Taylor Martin to lead the Beavers in 2012. Both Garcia and Martin earned Second Team All-SLIAC honors last season, with Garcia recording a .400 batting average with 52 hits, 24 RBI, 13 doubles and going 20-for-25 in stolen base attempts. Martin finished the season hitting .364 with 43 hits, 51 RBI and 19 doubles.

Eureka (10-18, 7-9) returns all three of their All-SLIAC honorees from last season. Sara Hamilton, an outfield and First Team selection, led the Red Devils last season with a .488 batting average, 39 hits, 22 RBI, six doubles, five home runs and two triples. Tomi Tapper also returns in the infield after hitting .344 at the plate with 31 hits, 22 RBI, six doubles, three home runs and two triples.

Greenville (14-23, 8-8) will look to returning Honorable Mention All-SLIAC players Lindsey Schuberth and Mattie Fairchild to lead their squad in 2012. Fairchild, a shortstop, finished the season with a .468 batting average, 59 hits, 27 RBI and 12 doubles. Schuberth returns as the top ace on the mound for the Panthers. She recorded a 3.45 ERA in 132.0 innings of action and an 8-14 record with 17 complete games and 96 strikeouts.

Westminster College was ranked seventh in the coaches poll and will look to improve on their 9-18 overall and 7-9 conference record from 2011. The Blue Jays top returner is junior Morgan Shipley, who was named First Team All-SLIAC at catcher last season. Shipley led her team with a .388 batting average last season with 31 hits and 19 RBI.

Principia College and MacMurray College rounded out the poll in eighth and ninth place respectively. Principia went 8-21 overall and 3-13 in SLIAC play in only their second season in the Conference. MacMurray (2-28, 0-16) returns their top hitter from last season, Beth Boyer, who had a .350 batting average with 28 hits.

SLIAC Softball Pre-Season Poll
1 Fontbonne (5)
2 Webster (2)
3 Spalding (1)
4 Blackburn
5 Eureka
6 Greenville
7 Westminster (Mo.)
8 Principia
9 MacMurray