Storm selected sixth in A-R-C preseason poll
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Simpson College softball team was selected sixth in the 2024 American Rivers Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced on Thursday.
The Storm are returning eight of their nine top players in offensive production, as well as 97 percent of the team's overall pitching production last season. The Storm also bring in nine newcomers, including eight freshmen, to bolster up the depth of the lineup.
"We are looking forward to returning virtually all starters, including our top four pitchers with an amazing freshman class that will add depth to our experienced line up," said Storm head coach Brent Matthias. "The A-R-C is such a tough league. In the last two years seven of the nine teams in our conference have either won a conference title or played in the NCAA Tournament. Every game, top to bottom, is a real battle. We feel that another year of experience and the work that the team put in during the off-season, as well as their attention to detail at practice will help make close games come out as wins."
LOOKING BACK AT LAST SEASON
- The Storm won 23 games last year, the most wins under Matthias's spell as head coach and the most overall since 2016, but narrowly missed out on a conference tournament spot.
- Simpson led the conference in eight different offensive categories, including batting average and home runs.
- Freshman Ashlyn Steen was named to the All-A-R-C First Team, becoming the first Storm freshman to receive the honor since 2015.
- Maddie Luderman was a huge driving force for the Storm, tying the single-season school record for RBIs with 45, earning all-conference and all-region accolades for the second straight season.
- Alexis Ehlers joined Luderman in earning all-conference and all-region honors for the Storm.
KEY OFFENSIVE RETURNERS (2023 STATS)
- Maddie Luderman (.395 BA, 12 HR, 45 RBI)
- Ashlyn Steen (.386 BA, 56 hits, 27 SB)
- Alexis Ehlers (.419 BA, 9 HR, 40 RBI)
KEY PITCHERS RETURNING (2023 STATS)
- Taryan Barrick-Wessels (2.16 ERA, 110.0 IP, 90 K)
- Madeline Petersen (3.97 ERA, 47.2 IP, 37 K)
- Makayla Bryant (2.97 ERA, 35.1 IP, 26 K)
- Kylee Tucker (3.23 ERA, 34.2 IP, 2 SV)
2024 A-R-C SOFTBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Coe (38-9, 13-3 A-R-C) - 63 points
2. Central (33-11, 11-5 A-R-C) - 51 points
3. Wartburg (25-18, 10-6 A-R-C) - 50 points
4. Luther (33-10, 12-4 A-R-C) - 47 points
5. Loras (21-15, 9-7 A-R-C) - 33 points
6. Simpson (23-17, 4-12 A-R-C) - 30 points
7. Nebraska Wesleyan (21-18, 6-10 A-R-C) - 27 points
8. Dubuque (12-28, 5-11 A-R-C) - 14 points
9. Buena Vista (6-28, 2-14 A-R-C) - 9 points
