5 players and teams to watch as the DII softball season gets ready to begin

The DII softball season is upon us. The Minnesota State Mavericks open the season right were they left off, looking to defend their title as the preseason No. 1.

As always, there will be plenty of teams in the mix, all looking for their shot to play in Salem, Va. this May. There are also superstar players aplenty, who seemingly alone can propel their teams to new heights. Let's take a look at some that standout.

RELATED: Coley Ries pitches Minnesota State to first national championship

Teams to watch:

Obviously, Minnesota State will have all eyes on it, as the Mavericks are the defending national champions. Starting pitchers Coley Ries and Libby Bemis combined to make all 71 starts, with Ries going 41-3 with a 1.05 ERA and 476 strikeouts en route to DII Player of the Year honors. Both are no longer on the roster, with Ries graduated and Bemis transferring closer to home. Ries, however, will be on the coaching staff to work with a new-look rotation.

So while the Mavericks will look somewhat new in the circle, the lineup returns much of its best hitters. Jessica Meidl returns after hitting .450 with 18 doubles and 10 home runs, as does McKenzie Papa, Amber Kral and Carly Esselman who made up the Mavericks top four hitters.

MORE: NFCA Preseason Top 25

Angelo State finished as national runner-ups in 2017 and return a few key pieces from that run. Outfielder Courtney Barnhill filled the stat sheet, leading the team with a .378 batting average to go along with 11 doubles, 15 home runs and 18 stolen bases. Brandy Marlett returns in the circle after winning a team-best 29 games behind a 1.36 ERA and 306 strikeouts. Two-way star Kenedy Urbany is gone, but Morgan Hill shouldn’t have any issues with an expanded starting role. She was phenomenal down the stretch, and tied the program record with six saves.

Congrats to #RambelleSoftball's Brandy Marlett for earning LSC Preseason Pitcher of the Year! pic.twitter.com/MMRRbdqTZU

— AngeloSports (@AngeloSports) January 31, 2018

Humboldt State will likely wind up in the final eight teams. That’s just what the Jacks do. Humboldt State is an near-annual guarantee for the postseason, making it to the final eight three of the last five years. Three big pieces -- Tiffany Hollingsworth, two-way star Kalyn Paque and pitcher Madison Williams -- are graduated, so it will be interesting to see what the Jacks do next. Hanna Holland is back after missing nearly all of last year. She hit .413 in HSU's 2016 national runner-up campaign. They also return leading home run hitter Breonna Bejaran, who hit 14 last season. There is always fire power in Arcata, California; it's how the pitching pans out that will be the question mark.

Despite losing its best hitter, North Georgia returns a lot of young talent. Senior Syndney Sprague is the veteran presence amongst an offense that returns six of its best seven hitters from 2017. Four of them -- Kalyn Anthony, Lexi Duncan, Alishia Frierson, and Shelby Hammontree -- are sophomores. The same holds true in the circle. Now sophomores, Kylee Smith and Amber Johns combined to make 49 starts last year. Smith's freshman year was one of the best in DII, posting a 31-6 record with a 1.34 ERA and 254 strikeouts. Junior Bria Bush is back as well, so this staff is well-experienced. This team is young and should be on the verge of many great seasons together.

Cal State Monterey Bay could be a sneaky team to watch this season. The Otters return one of the most dangerous hitters in the land in Julia Garcia, who won the California Collegiate Athletic Association Triple Crown batting .451 with 15 home runs and 62 RBI. She’s joined by some nice hitting returners in Jayme Stark and Luis Stanley to name a few. Hayley Fein is back in the circle after capturing CCAA Freshman of the Year honors going 29-12 with a 2.01 ERA and 145 strikeouts.

.@CSUMBSoftball Picked To Repeat As @goccaa Champs https://t.co/AtyvkFznUo #WeAreMB #ccaasb pic.twitter.com/2kpf2efYCL

— #WeAreMB (@OtterAthletics) January 30, 2018

Players to watch

Just because a team isn’t ranked, it doesn’t mean they don’t have players that will make an impact. Here are a few that stand out.

Adelphi isn’t in the Top 25 to start the season, but Brenna Martini is amongst the top players in DII once again. The All-American senior is a two-time Northeast-10 Player of the Year. Last season she led the conference with a .483/.597/1.027 slash line, 18 doubles, 18 home runs, and 73 RBI in her best season yet. She should be able to get Adelphi back to the postseason as she closes out one of the most storied careers in NE-10 lore.

UVA-Wise saw an eight-win improvement last season, not only earning a place in the Atlantic regional, but hosting the tournament, the first time the school has ever done so. That was in large part due to Taylor Brandts performance in the circle. Brandts went 23-7 with a 0.99 ERA which was fourth in DII. She also pitched the Cavaliers to their first win in NCAA postseason history. She could take the Cavs to new heights in the finale to her career.

Rosa'Lynn Burton had a freshman year to remember for Wilmington (Del.). She hit .463 with 45 stolen bases, good for Top 10 in DII. Burton set program records in her first year, including most hits in a single season. The Wildcats rumbled on to a historic season of their own, winding up in the first regional championship in program history. They lost quite a few seniors, but Burton should continue to get better.

Caldwell had a big season, finishing 45-15 and winning the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference tournament before bowing out out the East regional finals. Marisa Monasseri had a bigger year, batting .503 (third-best in DII) with 11 home runs and 11 doubles. The All-American is a two-time CACC Player of the Year and looks to finish out her career with another return to the postseason.

Christa Reisinger had a season to remember for Truman. The earned All-American honors en route to the Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year Award while leading DII with a .509 batting average. After earning GLVC Freshman of the Year honors with a .402 batting average, she’s now hitting .462 in her decorated career. And she’s only a junior.