Softball | 1/31/2012 2:40:00 PM

PRINCETON, W.Va. – With new head coach Jim Bacca at the helm and a strong nucleus of returning players, the West Liberty University softball team is looking to make a move up the ladder in the WVIAC standings this spring.
    The West Virginia Conference coaches placed the Hilltoppers at No. 12 in their annual preseason poll, which was released on Tuesday afternoon, but Bacca and his staff found the cupboard far from bare when they arrived on the hilltop to replace long-time mentor Herb Minch.
    Minch, who won nearly 400 games during his 17-year career, stepped down after the 2011 season to devote more time to his family and his role as head athletic trainer at the university.
    Leading a youthful West Liberty squad into the 2012 season will be a pair of returning standouts who earned honorable mention All-WVIAC laurels a year ago.
    Felcia Hulslander is a junior infielder from East Aurora, N.Y. while Kelsey Martin is a sophomore outfielder from Hurricane, W.Va.
    Hulslander led the Hilltoppers with 39 hits and 25 runs scored last spring while hitting .293 with 5 doubles, a triple and two home runs. She was 17-for-20 on stolen base attempts to lead the team in that category. Hulslander played in a team-high 47 games with her 46 starts also being tops on the team.
    Martin, an outfielder from Hurricane, W.Va., made quite an impression in her collegiate debut. The hard-hitting freshman led the team with 7 doubles, 3 home runs and 53 total bases while hitting .287 with a .434 slugging percentage.
    Defending champion West Virginia Wesleyan picked up half of the 14 first-place votes to edge out Shepherd for the No. 1 spot in the coaches' preseason poll. West Virginia State held down third place with Fairmont State and Alderson-Broaddus rounding out the top five.
    West Liberty is scheduled to open the 2012 season this weekend when the Hilltoppers compete in the Shaw University Invitational at Raleigh, N.C.
 
 
WVIAC SOFTBALL
Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. W.Va. Wesleyan (7)           184
2. Shepherd (2)       180
3. W.Va. State (4)   176
4. Fairmont State   134
5. Alderson-Broaddus (1)       123
6. Glenville State    114
7. Charleston           112
8. Davis & Elkins     106
9. Seton Hill            100
10. Wheeling Jesuit                73
11. Concord             64
12. WEST LIBERTY 50
13. Ohio Valley       38
14. Bluefield State 16