Softball

BYU Repeats As Favorites In WCC Softball Preseason Poll

SAN BRUNO, Calif. – With all five first-place votes, six-time defending champion BYU was picked by the league’s head coaches to claim the West Coast Conference Softball title in 2020.

The Cougars (30-26, 12-3 WCC) return six starters from a squad that advanced to its 15th consecutive NCAA Tournament in 2019. After leading the conference with five student-athletes named Preseason All-WCC, BYU will enter the new season under head coach Gordon Eakin for the 18th consecutive year. 

Reigning WCC Pitcher of the Year Arissa Paulson leads the group of five Cougars named to the preseason team. She is joined alongside 2018 WCC Player of the Year Rylee Jensen-McFarland, Marissa Chavez, Autumn Moffat and Taylei Williams.

Loyola Marymount collected 21 overall votes and the remaining first-place votes to head into 2020 as preseason runners-up after finishing just one game behind BYU in the race to the title last year.

Led by two-time defending WCC Coach of the Year in Sami Strinz-Ward, the Lions (40-21, 11-4 WCC) also return six starters – five of whom will be sophomores and juniors – from a team that achieved their highest win total since the WCC began sponsoring softball in 2014. LMU placed Megan Dedrick, Andrea Gonzalez, Molly Grumbo and Linnay Wilson on the preseason team, the second-most selections in the conference.

San Diego (20-29, 4-11 WCC) checks in at third among the six head coaches with 15 points, as Sophia Bjerk and Sara Silveyra pick up Preseason All-WCC honors for the Toreros.

Pacific (17-32, 3-12 WCC) and Santa Clara (16-34, 8-7) tied for fourth with 10 points while Saint Mary’s (14-37, 7-8 WCC) was just one point behind at nine to wrap up the six-team conference poll.  Carly Lucchetti and Jessica Mabrey of Pacific and Hannah Russell of Santa Clara round out the preseason team.

The seventh season of WCC Softball kicks off next Thursday with BYU and Saint Mary’s in action.
 

2020 WEST COAST CONFERENCE SOFTBALL PRESEASON POLL

Team (First Place Votes)    Points

1. BYU (5)                                      25

2. LMU (1)                                     21

3. San Diego                              15

T4. Pacific                                   10

T4. Santa Clara                        10

6. Saint Mary’s                          9


2020 ALL-WCC PRESEASON SOFTBALL TEAM
Sophia Bjerk, Soph., 3B, San Diego
Marissa Chavez, Jr., SS, BYU
Megan Dedrick, Jr., SS, LMU
Andrea Gonzalez, Jr., 3B, LMU
Molly Grumbo, Jr., C, LMU
Rylee Jensen-McFarland, Sr., OF, BYU
Carly Lucchetti, Soph., OF, Pacific
Jessica Mabrey, Soph., C, Pacific
Hannah Russell, Sr., C, Santa Clara
Sara Silveyra, Sr., SS, San Diego
Taylei Williams, Jr., OF, BYU
 
Arissa Paulson, Jr., P, BYU
Autumn Moffat, Jr., P, BYU
Linnay Wilson, Jr., P, LMU