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The Big Rivers once again should be a very strong conference for softball.  In Division 1 you have Hudson who is ranked #7 in the pre-season polls and Chippewa Falls who is #8.  In Division 2 Rice Lake is ranked #1.  Both Eau Claire schools are always competitive as well.  It should be an exciting year in the conference with a  lot of teams having a realistic chance at winning the conference title.

Chippewa Falls - Will once again be one of the favorites in the conference race.  Have won 5 of the last 6 conference titles.  This year will be led by senior 1B Rachel Hartman, senior centerfielder Katrina Nelson and Junior catcher Mikayla Hogan.  Both Nelson and Hogan were 1st team all-conference and 2nd team all-state selections last year.  Hartman, a 3 year starter was 2nd team all-conference last season and will be looked to for leadership.  The Cardinals must replace two time first team all-state pitcher Brooke Malnory who is now playing for UW-Eau Claire.  Senior Christina Korger and freshman Kendra Bowe will look to replace Malnory, with Korger bringing a lot of travel ball experience to the circle.  Leading hitters should include Nelson, Hartman, Hogan, and junior Errin Boisvert who had her promising sophomore season cut short due to a torn ACL.  Chippewa will once again draw from a strong junior varsity team last season to fill their roster spots.
Eau Claire Memorial -  Return some quality players and leaders in their program.  Katie Pospishil was a 1st team all-conference player last season and will return for her senior season.  Senior Amanda Lester will return to the catching position after receiving 2nd team all-conference selection a year ago.  Junior Corrie Hegwood will return for her junior season after being named 2nd team all-conference last year.  Both Lester and Hegwood have a lot of travel ball experience and will bring very good bats to the lineup for the Old Abes. 
Eau Claire North - The Huskies return a lot of quality players from last years team which finished 7-5 in conference play.  Senior SS Aleisha Harper leads the way.  Harper, a 4 year starter for the Huskies should return to the top of the lineup. She is a threat every time at bat as she can bunt, slap, and hit for power from the left side of the plate.  Junior catcher Erin Stenseth returns for her 3rd year.  Stenseth is a good leader who is a good all around athlete.  In the circle the Huskies return Junior pitchers Brittany Reiter and Jessica Nicol.  Both pitched last season and will bring experience back for the team.  North also has a solid group of freshman this season which will help the programs depth.  Look for North to be very competitive all season long.

Hudson - Another of the early favorites for the conference title.  Will be led by senior pitcher Brittany Krieg.  Krieg, a reigning first team all-conference pick has signed with D2 St. Cloud State for next season.  With her in the circle, Hudson should be in every game.  Also return seniors Amy Frye and Kristen Feissel who were both 2nd team all-conference picks a year ago.  Must replace SS Sarah Stalker and 3B Jayme Henry who were both 1st team all-conference selections a year ago.  Hudson has had good lower level teams the last few years which will help their depth.

Menomonie - Will be led by seniors Amanda Ryder and Beth Schmidt.  Ryder was a 3rd team all-state catcher last season for the Indians.  She should be one of the top hitters in the conference once again this season.  Schmidt, who was a 2nd team all-conference pick last year will also bring a strong bat to the Indians lineup. The question will be in the circle for the Indians.  They graduated senior pitcher Sophie Dahl last season.  Ryder did pitch some innings last year and may be asked to pitch again this season.

Rice Lake - The Warriors return SS Briana Myers who will look to bring a quality bat to the lineup for the Warriors this season.  Sam Walker and Vanessa Willger will return to 1B and 2B respectively.  In the circle the Warriors will have Megan Stodola and Carissa Saffert.  A strong group of freshman will help this season as well.  Are a very well coached team who always are competitive.  This team gets better as the year goes on every year and will once again be a favorite to contend for a trip to Madison in June.

River Falls – Will be led by Senior Amy Kujak who was a 2nd team all conference pick last season.  Also return sophomore pitcher Lauren Cernohous who pitched most of the innings for the team last season.  Must replace 1st team all conference catcher Betsy Ward who is now playing for Viterbo University.  This team has struggled to win a lot of games in the Big Rivers, but were much more competitive last season and will look to continue that into this season.

Eau Claire Memorial - Coach Brad Chapman - 9th year as Head Coach, 14th year at Memorial overall - [font=arial][font="times new roman"][size=3]We are coming off a 9-13 2007 season with all 11 from our roster returning for this season. The players are working hard transitioning from their winter sports trying to get in the softball frame of mind. We were strong defensively last season and hope to continue and build on that trend. We are hoping that with those experiences from last season along with some new faces, we will be able to become stronger on the offensive side. We hope to put a very competitive team out on the field this season. I look for the Big Rivers conference to be another exciting competitive season. I hope that we are ready and able to find our way back in the mix!
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