Storm softball selected sixth in A-R-C rankings
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Head coach Brent Matthias and Simpson College softball are eager to play after waiting 663 days to finally have a competition. The Storm are tabbed to tie sixth in the American Rivers Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league announced Thursday.
"To say this team is excited to play is an understatement," said Matthias. "After waiting 663 days to play between our last varsity contest, we are really going to enjoy this season and make it special."
Central is picked as the favorite and Wartburg is second; Luther, Dubuque and Coe fill the next three spots ahead of the Storm. Simpson is tied with Nebraska Wesleyan at sixth, while Buena Vista is eighth and Loras is ninth.
The Storm were the lone A-R-C squad to not compete in a game last season before it was brought to a halt by COVID-19. Simpson entered 2020 picked seventh in the conference coaches' poll.
The 2019 squad reached the semifinal round of the conference tournament after earning a 7-6 victory over the Knights in the opener. Nine players are back from that squad that saw action in at least half of the Storm's 40 contests.
The Storm return a trio of seniors that collected all-conference accolades at the end of the 2019 campaign. Megan Crockett was tabbed first team all-conference after leading the league in home runs with nine. Emily Bell and Sara Trent were second team performers as Bell collected 11 victories inside the circle and Trent hit .297 with eight doubles.
"We have great depth on both offense and defense this year," Matthias said. "This is allowing us to have some great battles at positions and it's forcing them to push each other to be their best."
Competition begins tomorrow with a doubleheader against Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois. Action runs through Sunday for Simpson with a game against DePauw and Fontbonne on Saturday. Concordia-Chicago and Illinois College await the Storm on Sunday to end the weekend.
Gameplay pauses for nearly a month before Simpson is back on the diamond when Buena Vista visits Indianola on Saturday, March 20 for the A-R-C and home openers. The Beavers will head home on Sunday after the three-game series.
The first A-R-C road trip will take place Thursday, April 1 to begin a streak of 10-straight contests away from campus. The Dutch host the Storm on April 8, before heading to Waverly to take on the Knights, April 10-11. A nonconference twinbill at Grinnell will take place April 12.
Simpson returns home for another game versus Central (April 14) before three games against Coe starting April 17.
A doubleheader at Iowa Wesleyan (April 21) will split up conference play once again before league competition ramps up starting with a series April 24 at Nebraska Wesleyan. Luther will visit for the final regular season home series May 1 and the Storm close out A-R-C play at Dubuque the following weekend.
Todd Guessford will be on the call this weekend from Jacksonville. Visit SimpsonAthletics.com for the audio links.
2021 American Rivers Conference Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Central
2. Wartburg
3. Luther
4. Dubuque
5. Coe
t-6. Simpson
t-6. Nebraska Wesleyan
8. Buena Vista
9. Loras
