[Softball] Softball Falcons receive votes in NAIA Coaches' Top 25 preseason poll

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Friends University Falcons have received votes in the NAIA Softball Coaches' Top 25 preseason poll, the national office announced today (Nov. 2).

The Falcons collected four votes to come in as the No. 37-ranked team overall. 

One of two KCAC teams in the survey, defending conference regular season champion Ottawa University was the top vote-getter outside the top 25.

Under fifth-year head coach Suzanne Unruh, the Falcons are coming off a historic 2022 campaign that featured their second KCAC tournament championship in the past four years.

Friends then headed into the NAIA tournament winners of 17 of their past 20 games and promptly knocked off the top-seeded team in the Henderson Bracket and No. 3 overall-ranked Freed-Hardeman University for their first NAIA Opening Round victory since 2013.  The Falcons would finish with 31 wins for the second straight season.

To continue the program's ascension nationally, the Falcons are set to welcome back seven All-KCAC performers from last season. Highlighting the group are first-team honorees Laila Spracklen (SR/San Diego, Calif. ) and Priscilla Mora (SO/Beaumont, Calif. ), while honorable-mention selections Isabelle Schwien (JR/Denver, Colo. ), Carolyn Dallimore (SR/Patterson, Calif. ), Jennifer Garcia (JR/Sylamar, Calif. ), Aleigha Gale (JR/Winfield, Kan. ) and Vanessa Sigala (JR/Carson, Calif. ) are also back for the upcoming 2023 season.

Friends will open the season with a round-robin in Allen, Texas on Feb. 9-11, with the home opener set for Feb. 26 vs. Hastings College. The day before that, the Falcons have a non-conference showdown at No. 3-ranked USAO in Chickasha, Okla. The Falcons are also at home for the KCAC opener on Mar. 22 vs. Oklahoma Wesleyan University.