Courtesy of Newberry College Athletics
ROCK HILL — The Newberry College softball team was tabbed sixth in the South Atlantic Conference’s Preseason Poll. Three Wolves earned preseason All-Conference selections, as well.
Last season’s regular season champions, the Anderson Trojans, topped the poll and received seven first place votes and 139 points total. Lincoln Memorial, defending SAC tournament champions, placed second in the poll and received three first place votes and 125 points total. Lenoir-Rhyne, the only other team from the SAC to reach the NCAA tournament, placed third receiving one fewer point at 124 total and the final three first place votes.
Wingate and Carson-Newman were the final two teams ranked ahead of the Wolves in the poll, receiving 118 and 104 points respectively. Newberry rounds out the top half of the poll in sixth place with 85 points.
Below the Wolves are Tusculum in seventh with 76 points, Limestone in eighth with 62 points, and Coker in ninth with 50 points. Emory & Henry ranked tenth with 44 points followed by UVA Wise in 11th with 40 points. Twelfth place sees a step drop off with Mars Hill receiving 26 points. Catawba rounds out the preseason poll in 13th place with 21 points.
Sophomore catcher Mackenzie Turner (Jefferson, Ga.) was named first-team all-conference. She hit .367 last season and made 33 starts for the Wolves. Defensively, Turner notched a .998 mark.
Senior outfielder Mallena Wright (Summerville) earned second-team honors. Among qualified hitters, she led the Wolves in batting average and runs scored with .427 and 47 respectively. She was second on the team in total bases with 78. Defensively, Wright recorded a .948 fielding percentage in the 2022 campaign.
Junior first baseman Sierra Brogdon (Leesburg, Ga.) and junior second baseman Tori Rose (Moncks Corner) were the final Wolves selected to an all-conference team, both earning third-team honors. Brogdon had the second highest average on the team last season amongst qualified players, hitting .383 while appearing in 46 games and starting in 38 games. She tallied the third most total bases on the team with 76. In the field, Brogdon recorded a .993 fielding percentage. Rose hit .250 over the course of the 2022 season and tallied 17 runs for the Wolves. She appeared in 42 games, of which she started 41 games. A solid defender for the Wolves, Rose recorded a .940 fielding percentage in 2022.
The Wolves start the season at home on Saturday, Feb. 4 as they host Southern Wesleyan for a double header.