SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) revealed its preseason poll results in softball, and the Yellowjackets were predicted to finish second.
 
In the poll of UMAC coaches, five-of-seven first place votes were given to Bethany Lutheran, leading the poll with 35 points. The Yellowjackets return three All-UMAC honorees from last year's squad, including the sophomore tandem of Peyton Bennett (Harrisburg, S.D./Harrisburg) and Abby Mitchell (Cloquet, Minn./Carlton) alongside junior Carly Stuckmayer (Delano, Minn./Delano).
 
Bennett, the reigning rookie of the year, ended her debut season with a .421 average, alongside a team-leading six triples and 28 stolen bases. Mitchell returns after posting a 2.24 ERA in the circle, pitching 65.2 innings and striking out 64 opposing hitters. Stuckmayer boasts a .433 average with 52 hits and a team-second 21 stolen bags.
 
In third place was Northwestern with 26 points, followed by Minnesota Morris (19) and Crown (18) in fourth and fifth place, respectively. North Central and Martin Luther rounds out the league with nine and eight points.
 
The Yellowjackets begin the campaign Saturday, Feb. 14 where they face Carleton and Macalester. The opening pitch against the Knights is set for 2 p.m. inside the Dundas Dome in Dundas, Minn.