IRVINE, Calif. – Ranked No. 14 in the country in the NFCA DII Preseason Poll, the Golden Eagles are gearing up for another exciting season as hosts of
the annual CUI Kickoff Classic the first week in February.
The defending PacWest Conference champions are the unanimous favorites to repeat by softball head coaches around the league, and Concordia softball also earned six Preseason All-Conference nods.
Senior
Katlin Entrup was tabbed as the Preseason Pitcher of the Year and shortstop
Rylie Rohr joined Katie Korstrom of Azusa Pacific as Co-Preseason Players of the Year.
Senior centerfielder
Kaia Nisby, third baseman
Jocelyn Pino, second baseman
Mary Baccay and first baseman
Missy Nemeth joined Entrup and Rohr as Preseason All-Conference selections. They each have proven how valuable they can be to this perennial contender in the West Region.
Entrup is coming off a fabulous year where she was named a NFCA Second Team All-American & D2CCA Honorable Mention All-American. In addition to making two All-Region teams, she was the D2CCA Regional Pitcher of the Year and PacWest Pitcher of the Year. Along with fellow senior pitcher
Cortney Koelmans, the Golden Eagles led ALL of NCAA DII with the lowest Team ERA of 1.11 and claimed their fourth straight PacWest Conference title.
Rohr was a force to be reckoned with at the plate and in the infield. She led the entire conference in three major categories: homers (17), RBI (43) and total bases (108), and was first on her team with eight steals. One of four Golden Eagles to start all 61 games a year ago, Rohr needs just six more homers to tie and seven to break school's all-time record for career homers. She enters 2024 with 36 career long balls.
Just like Rohr, Baccay started every contest last season and enjoyed a solid first campaign at second base. She hit .296 with eight doubles and 22 RBI which was good for a Second Team All-PacWest showing.
Nemeth hit .300 in the heart of the lineup with six homers last year along with 35 RBI and 22 walks. A Second Team All-PacWest selection two seasons ago, she has mashed 24 career homers and can change any game with one swing.
Sometimes flying under the radar, Pino returns as a graduate student with impressive credentials. The third baseman was First Team All-Region by both the NFCA & D2CCA plus First Team All-PacWest a year ago. She hit .333 with four homers and 32 RBI in 55 games and put together career-best 11-game hitting streak last year.
Last but certainly not least is NFCA Gold Glove nominee
Kaia Nisby. The senior patrols centerfield admirably and provided two memorable highlights last year with her glove. She robbed a home run from going over the fence in the regional playoffs against Cal State San Marcos and threw out the potential game-tying run at the plate for final out to preserve a 1-0 shutout win over San Francisco State. She went all year with zero errors while starting all 58 games she played in.
CUI softball opens the season on Friday, Feb. 2 at the CUI Kickoff Classic at 1:30 p.m. against Western Oregon. The epic tournament has become an annual tradition in Irvine and is hosted by Concordia off-campus at the nearby Orange County Great Park.
CLICK HERE for the Tournament Central page for the 2024 CUI Kickoff Classic
21 teams are slated to play in this year's Kickoff Classic during the first weekend in February, including nationally-ranked opponents such as No. 7 Cal State San Marcos, No. 16 Oklahoma Christian, No. 22 Colorado Christian and No. 25 Northwest Nazarene.
Concordia will face six opponents in those three days, including three of those ranked programs. Tickets are available to purchase now and you can also buy the 3-day tournament pass or a daily pass if you prefer.
CLICK HERE for the full CUI softball schedule
