Softball and baseball teams picked sixth in MIAA preseason polls
The Olivet College softball and baseball teams have been picked to finish sixth in the 2013 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Preseason Coaches’ Polls.
OLIVET, Mich. -- The Olivet College softball and baseball teams have been picked to finish sixth in the 2013 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Preseason Coaches’ Polls. Each coach was not allowed to vote for his/her own team.
Head Softball Coach James Farnum welcomes back eight letterwinners from last year’s team. The Comets will be led by senior infielders Alison Iuelle (Kelloggsville), Lindsey Maas (Pinckney) and Marlene Packer (Grand Rapids/Creston), and senior outfielder Ciara Santos (Lansing/Everett).
Last year, Iuelle led the team with four home runs, while posting a .327 batting average to go along with 21 runs scored, 16 RBI and 33 base hits. Packer was second on the team with a .333 batting average and 33 base hits. Maas and Santos have both earned three varsity letters.
Olivet will open the 2013 season March 7-13 at the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Fla. While there, the Comets will play two games per day for 12 total games. Olivet’s MIAA opener will be Wednesday, March 27, when it hosts co-preseason favorite Alma College.
Softball Poll Results (first-place votes in parenthesis): 1. Trine (5) 12 pts. 1. Alma (4) 12. 3. Hope 24. 4. Adrian 29. 5. Saint Mary’s 38. 6. OLIVET 43. 7. Calvin 46. 8. Albion 57. 9. Kalamazoo 63.
Head Baseball Coach Ted Mahan welcomes back 17 lettermen from the 2012 season. Leading the way will be senior pitcher Jay Magro (Bridgman) and senior shortstop Randy Young (Wixom/Walled Lake Western). Last year, Magro made nine starts on the mound and shared the team lead with three wins. Young was the only player on the team to start all 40 games, recording a .326 batting average along with a team-leading 21 runs scored, 44 hits and two triples.
The baseball team will also start the 2013 season at the Gene Cusic Classic. The season-opener is March 8 against Ohio Northern University. The Comets will open MIAA play March 23-24 with a four-game series against Alma. The first two games will be played March 23 at Olivet’s Cutler Athletic Complex and then shift to Alma’s Klenk Park for two games March 24. Both doubleheaders start at 1 p.m.
Baseball Poll Results (first-place votes in parenthesis): 1. Adrian (7) 7 pts. 2. Hope (1) 15. 3. Trine 18. 4. Calvin 25. 5. Albion 30. 6. OLIVET 42. 6. Alma 42. 8. Kalamazoo 45.