UIC Picked as Favorite to Win 2006 Horizon League Softball Title
Jan. 25, 2006
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INDIANAPOLIS -- After winning six of the last eight Horizon League Championships, University of Illinois at Chicago is picked to finish first again in the 2006 preseason softball poll. The poll is voted on by the League's eight head coaches.
UIC received 45 points (four first-place, two second-place and one third-place) as the coaches' selection to finish in the top spot. Defending League Tournament Champion University of Wisconsin-Green Bay followed in second place with 42 points (two first-place, three second-place and two third-place), while Cleveland State University (39), the 2005 Tournament runner-up, is picked to finish in third.
Loyola University Chicago (28) sits in the fourth spot, while Wright State University (26) is picked to finish in fifth place. Rounding out the poll, the University of Detroit Mercy (20) edged out Youngstown State University (16) for the sixth spot, while Butler University (8) was chosen to finish in the eighth and final spot.
| School (First-Place Votes) | Total |
| UIC (4) | 45 |
| UW-Green Bay (2) | 42 |
| Cleveland State (2) | 39 |
| Loyola | 28 |
| Wright State | 26 |
| Detroit | 20 |
| Youngstown State | 16 |
| Butler | 8 |
NOTE: This poll was conducted among the Horizon League's Head Coaches. Teams received seven points for a first place vote, six points for a second place vote, etc. The coaches did not vote for their own squads.
UIC has strung together an impressive run over the last eight seasons. The Flames won five consecutive Horizon League Championships before being dethroned by Wright State in 2003. UIC reclaimed the title the following spring, but its reign atop the League was short lived as UW-Green Bay took home the championship in '05. This season the Flames will be led by senior shortstop Joyce Cathey, who was a First Team All-Horizon League selection in 2005 and finished second in the loop in runs scored (50) and home runs (12). The sophomore tandem of Brittany Dixon and Nicole Robinson will be expected to build off their All-Newcomer Team honors of a year ago and help replace the production of 2005 Player of the Year Cameron Astiazaran. In the circle, the Flames will look toward 2005 Second Team All-Horizon League selection senior right-hander Brittany McIntyre, who paced the loop in wins (21) and shutouts (8) last season, while recording a 3.42 ERA and 135 strikeouts in 229 innings pitched.
UW-Green Bay, who went from last place in last year's preseason poll to the Tournament title, will be led by 2005 Coach of the Year Jean Rivett. On the field, 2005 Horizon League Second-Team selection senior catcher Kate Sullivan will need to come up big for a Phoenix team that lost several starters. Also expected to give the Phoenix a boost will be senior pitcher Lisa Messiner, who went 9-7 with 128 strikeouts in 113.2 innings in 2005.
Cleveland State, the 2005 Tournament runner-up, looks build off its successful tournament run of a year ago. The Vikings will be led by senior ace and 2005 Pitcher of the Year Grace Luginbuhl, who posted a 16-13 mark last season with a 2.12 ERA, 178 strikeouts in 194.2 innings pitched. Behind Luginbuhl sophomores Amber Lowe and Whitney Willard are poised to follow up their All-Newcomer Team honors last season with strong second-year campaigns. Lowe, a Second Team All-League selection in '05, hit .296 and started all 50 games for the Vikings.
From last year's First Team All-Horizon League squad, Butler junior JoAnna Gonzalez (.307 AVG, .425 SLG, 8 RBI), Detroit senior Kristin Martin (.297 AVG, .428 SLG, 4 HR, 17 RBI), Loyola junior Raven Gengler (.327 AVG, .571 SLG, 8 HR, 29 RBI) and Wright State junior Amanda Cody (.402 AVG, .549 SLG, 4 HR, 24 RBI) all return to help their teams make a run at the 2006 title.
Click here to see the final 2005 stats and standings.
