IRVINE, Calif. – Hawai'i Pacific University has been voted sixth in the 2019 PacWest Conference Preseason Softball Poll released today by the conference office.
 
The Sharks did not place a player on the Preseason All-PacWest Conference team this season.
 
The Sharks return six starters as part of 10 returning letterwinners for co-head coaches Bryan Nakasone and Jarnett Lono. HPU was 22-18 last season and 15-14 in the PacWest Conference to place sixth.
 
Sophomore Cieana Curran of Ewa Beach, Hawai'i/Campbell returns after leading the Sharks with a .355 batting average to go with 25 RBIs last season. Senior Jordan Curry of Farmington, N.M./Farmington led HPU in the pitching circle with a 1.48 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 12 starts and 14 appearances, while starting 25 other games in the infield with a .245 batting average and 15 RBIs.
 
HPU received 46 points in the poll for sixth in the 10 team conference, three points better than the seventh place tie between Chaminade (10-33, 6-25) and Dominican (Calif.) (17-35, 8-24) with 43.
 
Defending PacWest Champion Concordia Irvine (46-14, 26-6) is the preseason favorite of the league's coaches, receiving seven first place votes and 89 total points. Biola (33-19, 16-16) received one first place vote with 82 points for second, while Azusa Pacific (22-25, 15-17) was third with 80 points. Hawai'i Hilo (31-15, 19-9) is fourth in the poll with 66 points, just ahead of Academy of Art (40-18, 22-10) who received two first place votes and a total of 62 points in fifth.
 
Notre Dame de Namur (13-40, 9-23) was selected ninth with 20 points, just ahead of Holy Names (4-40, 4-28) in 10th with 19 points.
 
Hawai'i Hilo's junior utility player Brinell Kaleikini was voted as the PacWest Preseason Player of the Year, while Concordia Irvine sophomore Callie Nunes was voted the PacWest Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
 
Also named to the Preseason All-PacWest Team are catcher Kayla Neff, outfielder Areana Ramos, designated player Hailey Boyett and pitcher Paige Austin of Biola; second base Amanda Woods, shortstop Cayla Broussard and pitcher Kat Ung of Azusa Pacific; first base Cienna Cheshier of Holy Names, third base Amanda Gjertsen of Concordia Irvine, outfielder McKenzie Schumacher of Dominican (Calif.), and outfielder Gabi Hirsch of Academy of Art.
 
The Sharks open the 2019 season on the mainland in the Montana State Billings Desert Stinger Tournament on Friday, Feb. 1 against UC San Diego with a first pitch at 5 p.m. HST (7 p.m. PST).
   
 
 

2019 PACWEST SOFTBALL PRESEASON POLL
	TEAM	POINTS	2018 RECORD
1.	Concordia (7)	89	46-14 (26-6)
2.	Biola (1)	82	33-19 (16-16)
3.	Azusa Pacific	80	22-25 (15-17)
4.	Hawai`i Hilo	66	31-15 (19-9)
5.	Academy of Art (2)	62	40-18 (22-10)
6.	Hawai`i Pacific	46	22-18 (15-14)
7.	Chaminade	43	10-33 (6-25)
7.	Dominican	43	17-35 (8-24)
9.	Notre Dame de Namur	20	13-40 (9-23)
10.	Holy Names	19	4-40 (4-28)
First-place votes in parenthesis

 
 

2019 PRESEASON ALL-PACWEST SOFTBALL TEAM
Name	School	Pos.	Class	B/T	Hometown/Previous School
Kayla Neff	Biola	C	Jr.	R/R	Huntington Beach, Calif. / Edison
Cienna Cheshier	Holy Names	1B	Fr.	R/R	Fairfield, Calif. / Rodriguez
Amanda Woods	Azusa Pacific	2B	So.	R/R	Glendora, Calif. / Glendora
Amanda Gjertsen	Concordia	3B	Jr.	R/R	Mission Viejo, Calif. / Capistrano Valley
Cayla Broussard	Azusa Pacific	SS	Sr.	L/R	Clovis, Calif. / Clovis
Gabi Hirsch	Academy of Art	OF	Jr.	L/R	Huntington Beach, Calif. / Huntington Beach
McKenzie Schumacher	Dominican	OF	Jr.	L/R	Merced, Calif. / El Capitan
Areana Ramos	Biola	OF	Sr.	R/R	Ontario, Calif. / Ontario Christian
Hailey Boyett	Biola	DP	Sr.	R/R	San Diego / Horizon Christian Academy
Brinell Kaleikini *	Hawai`i Hilo	Util	Jr.	R/R	Honolulu / Moanalua
Callie Nunes ^	Concordia	P	So.	R/R	Modesto, Calif. / Ceres
Paige Austin	Biola	P	So.	R/R	Los Alamitos, Calif. / Los Alamitos
Kat Ung	Azusa Pacific	P	Jr.	L/L	Redondo Beach, Calif. / Redondo Union

 
* - Preseason Player of the Year
^ - Preseason Pitcher of the Year