The Northern Sun Conference Preseason Softball Coaches's Poll is out and the Peacocks are 11^th in the poll. Upper Iowa garnered 79 points from the conference coaches heading into the 2019 campaign.
 
Winona State University is the top pick in the poll marking the fourth time in the past five seasons that the Warriors have been selected by the coaches to win the league. The Warriors amassed 222 points and 12 first place votes after going 45-7 last season, including a 20-2 mark in the NSIC while making an appearance in the NCAA Central Region Tournament.
 
Upper Iowa softball is ready to get going this spring and improve on 2018's 20-win season. The Peacocks went 20-24 last year with a 7-17 mark in the Northern Sun Conference. Despite missing the post-season, Upper Iowa finished with 20 wins for the fifth time in the last six seasons and only graduated one senior from last year's squad.
 
The Peacocks played well at home (5-5) and in neutral sites (14-10), but struggled on the road with a 1-9 record when playing at their opponent's park.
 
Upper Iowa is led by junior infielder Jordyn Brennan, one of UIU's two NSIC Players to Watch in 2019. The Hortonville, Wis. product earned a spot on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Central Region First Team as a utility player and the All-NSIC Second Team as a shortstop. Brennan hit a team-high .374 and slugged .573. In addition to Brennan's big bat, UIU returns Katie Crogan, Jenny Budds, Julia Buffington and Sami Kay Shafranski. Crogan paced the offense with a team-high 40 rbi while hitting .347 and slugging .573 thanks to a team-high 52 hits including 11 doubles, a triple and 7 homers. Budds hit .336 with 49 hits and was 13 of 15 in stolen base attempts. Buffington hit .322 and slugged .473 with 47 hits including 7 doubles and 5 home runs, while Shafranski hit .291 with 41 hits, 18 walks and 11 stolen bases in 15 tries.
 
In the pitching circle, UIU returns all four arms that threw a season ago led by Sydney Wilcox, another NSIC Player to Watch for the Peacocks, as well as Emily Kisch, Jaclyn Thompson and Erin Drahozal. Wilcox appeared in 14 games last season making 8 starts and posting a 3-5 record with a 3.55 ERA in 51.1 innings pitched. Kisch led the team in earned run average (3.50), wins (9-10 record), appearances (25), starts (20), complete games (11), innings pitched (116) and strikeouts (94). Thompson held opponents to a .237 batting average in her 90.2 innings pitched while striking out 88 for a 7-7 record with an ERA of 4.09 in 18 appearances and 15 starts. Drahozal picked up a win in three decisions and registered an ERA of 4.28 in 34.1 innings of work.
 
Upper Iowa will open their 2019 campaign at the 8-State Classic hosted by the University of Arkansas-Monticello in Bentonville, Ark. The Peacocks will play six times from Feb. 15-17. UIU's first home games are scheduled for Apr. 6-7 when they host the University of Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State University.