2007 CCIW Softball Season Preview

NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- Another season of College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) softball begins as two teams enter the 2007 season with national rankings, while one of them will look to defend its conference title.

Augustana, winners of both the regular season and conference tournament in 2006, returns as the conference favorite as the Vikings were picked to win the CCIW title in a poll conducted by the head softball coaches. Augustana finished 33-10 last season (13-1 in the CCIW) and come into this season ranked 30th nationally by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

Sophomore pitcher Jenna Szybowicz returns after compiling a 16-2 record with a 1.12 earned run average in 24 appearances with 16 starts. Senior Alissa Shaner is back after a 14-5 record with 1.50 ERA last season. Junior college transfer Sara Brokaw joins the pitching staff after a stellar career at BlackHawk Junior College. Senior Cammie Bourlet earned first team all-conference honors at catcher last season, hitting .234 with 22 hits in 94 at-bats. Seniors Lorena Cernetisch and Samantha Knox return at shortstop and third base respectively.

Illinois Wesleyan (32-12, 12-2 in 2006) was picked second in the pre-season coaches poll after the Titans won 30 or more games for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. The Titans are also ranked 18th nationally by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. All-conference second baseman/outfielder Ashley Deck returns to the Titans after batting .453 in 14 conference games last season. Deck had 24 hits in 53 at bats with 13 RBI. Shortstop Molly Coers also returns after she batted .423 in 12 conference games. Senior pitcher Lauren Hyland is back after going 6-1 with a 1.51 ERA in conference games last season.

In 2007, Millikin will look to build upon its successful 2006 campaign as the Big Blue went 24-17 (8-6 in the CCIW) and earned the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. All-conference player Brittany Patete returns after batting .309 last season with 11 RBI. All-conference players Amber Rock and Kate Blackburn are also back. Rock, a second baseman, hit .319 last season, while Blackburn, a catcher, hit .322. Junior pitcher Katie O’Dell and sophomore Kristina Bechtold return to the Big Blue. Bechtold had a 3.28 ERA in 19 appearances last season, while O’Dell accomplished a 3.46 ERA.

North Central senior Lori Potacki returns after posting a 17-8 record in 28 appearances as the Cardinals finished 26-16 and 7-7 in the CCIW last season. Potacki was a first team all-conference pick last season. Senior Jamie Wieczorek played in all 42 games last season at shortstop and led the team in stolen bases and batted .326 en route to earning all-conference honors. Junior Kaylee Noll is back at catcher after earning second team all-conference honors a year ago.

The Wheaton Thunder (20-19, 6-8) begin the 2007 season with a new coach. Chris Hudson takes over for Pete Felske after serving as an assistant for the Thunder softball team for the past two seasons. Junior Trinity Pierce was an all-conference selection last season and returns as a first baseman and outfielder. Pierce led the Thunder last season with a .355 batting average in all 39 games. She also led the way with nine home runs and 30 RBI.

Elmhurst (19-19, 6-8) pitcher Jaci Hall returns after earning all-conference honors last season as a sophomore. Hall led the Bluejays with a 2.98 ERA with 17 starts and one save. She was 3-3 in conference games with a 1.60 ERA and walked six in 30.2 innings pitched.

Carthage (14-22, 3-11) returns 11 letterwinners from last season, including six starters. All-conference catcher Katie Los is back, while newcomer Jenny Burke comes to the Lady Reds via the College of DuPage as a catcher-third baseman. Los batted .308 in 14 conference games last season. Burke was named All-Suburban Prairie Conference in 2004 and 2005.

North Park (16-24, 1-13) senior Jessica Mena, a first team all-conference selection last season, is back in 2007 after leading the team with a .446 batting average. Senior Alana Benner (.339 batting average in 2006) and sophomore Kara Emmering (.330 in 2007) are also back.