DWU softball team sitting at bottom of GPAC preseason poll

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The last-place finish in the Great Plains Athletic Conference preseason polls didn’t come as a surprise for the Dakota Wesleyan softball team, but first-year head coach Ed Kieff knows his team has the talent to compete with anyone in the conference.

“I think that we do have talent,” Kieff said. “We do not lack talent. We just need to work hard and play the way we know how to.”

The Tigers finished 12-23 overall last season and 7-13 in the GPAC with a team that had no graduating seniors. They picked up wins against Morningside and Nebraska Wesleyan, which were the clear-cut picks at the top of this year’s preseason polls.

Concordia was picked third in the polls, followed by Kieff’s alma mater, Doane. Dordt finishes off the top five with Midland, Northwestern and Hastings sitting close together in the next three slots.

Mount Marty and Briar Cliff round off the top ten with Dakota Wesleyan at the bottom. Last season, the Tigers finished ahead of only Briar Cliff.

“We don’t ignore (the polls),” Kieff said. “We use it as a little bit of fuel so to speak. We know where we’re at, and we’ve used it to motivate ourselves. They’re ready to get after it. I’m excited, and the coaching staff is ready to go.”

Dakota Wesleyan opens the season on Feb. 3 with a doubleheader at Black Hills State University in Spearfish. The first GPAC game for the Tigers is March 24 at home against Hastings College.

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