BYU softball picked to finish first in WCC Preseason Poll

PROVO, Utah – Four players collected All-West Coast Conference preseason honors while BYU softball was voted to finish first in the preseason conference poll Wednesday.

The Cougars collected five first-place votes for the top slot in the poll while Pacific was picked to finish second and Saint Mary’s third.

Sophomores Sydney Broderick, Lauren Bell, McKenzie St. Clair and McKenna Bull were named to the 2015 All-WCC Preseason Softball Team as voted on by coaches throughout the conference.

Broderick, a catcher out of Ashburn, Virginia, looks to build upon her stellar freshman season in which she batted .360 with six home runs and 31 RBI. Bell, a shortstop, batted .329 while playing in 53 of BYU’s games in 2014.

Second baseman St. Clair had the second-best batting average with .350 while hitting five home runs and collecting 34 RBI. Bull set the school freshman record for strikeouts with 206 in 2014 while posting a record of 16-9.

College Sports Madness also announced its conference preseason teams. Bull, Bell, St. Clair and Broderick were named to the 2015 West Coast Preseason All-Conference First Team while Ashley Thompson, Gordy Bravo and Mercedes O’Connor were named to the Second Team.

Thompson, pitcher and first baseman hit five home runs with 31 RBI with a .430 OBP while O’Connor batted .326 with 20 RBI and a .417 OBP. The junior Bravo hit .309 in 2014.

Broderick was also selected as Field Player of the Year and coach Gordon Eakin was named the preseason Coach of the Year.

BYU commences its 2015 season Thursday at 4:30 p.m. MST against Virginia in the Kajikawa Classic at Tempe, Arizona.

2015 WCC Preseason Softball Coaches Poll

2015 All-WCC Preseason Softball Team