2016 Softball Media Guide
2016 Softball Composite Schedule
2016 Softball Standings
2016 Softball Stats
Current NCAA RPI Rankings
Weekly News and Notes PDF
NEW ORLEANS – UL Lafayette and South Alabama sit atop the Sun Belt Conference softball standings after claiming both weekend series, as a pair of underclassmen led their teams to a series sweep. Ragin’ Cajun outfielder Aleah Craighton and Jaguar RHP Devin Brown have earned weekly softball honors, presented by Community Coffee.
UL Lafayette sits in the No. 1 spot in league standings with a 13-1 conference record (32-3 overall), and is currently ranked 4th in the NCAA Softball RPI rankings. The Ragin’ Cajuns took all three games from Georgia State over the weekend, and were led by sophomore Aleah Craighton. The right-fielder reached base in nine of 11 plate appearances, did not strikeout in any of those appearances, and hit .714 (5-for-7) in the Ragin’ Cajuns sweep of Georgia State -- which represented the 26th consecutive Sun Belt series win dating back to March 2013. Three of Craighton’s five base hits went for extra bases, as she posted two home runs and a double leading to a 1.714 slugging percentage.
She closed the GSU series by reaching base in each of her final eight plate appearances, either by base hit or drawing a walk, building to her final on base percentage of .818. The Cajuns center fielder scored at least one in each game of the series and crossed home plate twice in each of the final two games. Posted three RBI in helping Louisiana build a 4-0 lead, and later drew a one-out walk in the top of the seventh inning to set up DJ Sanders’ game-winning home run in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader (6-5 win over GSU). Capped off her series performance in Atlanta with 2-for-2, both hits for extra bases (double, home run), and posted her 13th home run of the season which is a new personal single-season best total.
This is Craighton’s first Sun Belt weekly honor this season. She joins teammates Lexie Elkins, Kylee Jo Trahan, DJ Sanders, Shellie Landry and Alex Stewart on the awards list for 2016, as UL Lafayette has placed the most student-athletes on the awards list this season (6).
South Alabama’s Devin Brown is the Community Coffee Pitcher of the Week for the fourth time this season. Brown is the only Sun Belt softball student-athlete to earn a weekly honor more than once this season. She is currently ranked third in the NCAA for strikeouts per seven innings with 11.2, behind Michigan's Megan Betsa and Oregon's Cheridan Hawkins.
The sophomore right-hander went 2-0 this weekend with 26 strikeouts to a walk in 14 innings and only four runs allowed (three earned) on 10 hits. Brown struck out 13 UT Arlington batters in each start, raising her season total to 226, eight shy of tying Beth Pilgrim’s program season record 234, set in 2009. Brown has now thrown 10 or more strikeouts in 14 of her 25 total appearances this season. The Jaguars swept UT Arlington over the weekend, keeping them at second place in league standings (24-11, 12-2 SBC).
Recent Results
April 5
UL Monroe at Northwestern State L, 6-2
April 6
Radford at Appalachian State L, 10-6
Texas State at Houston Baptist W, 2-1
Radford at Appalachian State W, 6-1
Georgia Tech at Georgia State L, 4-3
USA at Miss. St. Cancelled
UT Arlington at North Texas L, 1-0
Troy at Auburn L, 8-1
Louisiana Tech at UL Monroe W, 3-2
April 9
App State at GS* GS, 6-2
UL Lafayette at Georgia State* ULL, 4-1
UT Arlington at USA* USA, 6-1
Troy at UL Monroe* Troy, 5-4
App State at GS* GS, 11-7
UL Lafayette at Georgia State* ULL, 6-5
UT Arlington at South Alabama* USA, 5-1
Troy at UL Monroe* Troy, 6-3
April 10
UL Lafayette at Georgia State* ULL, 12-0
App State at Georgia Southern* GS, 3-0
UT Arlington at South Alabama* USA, 7-3
Troy at UL Monroe* ULM, 2-0
Community Coffee Pitcher of the Week
Devin Brown, South Alabama, Sophomore
South Alabama’s Devin Brown is the Community Coffee Pitcher of the Week for the fourth time this season. Brown is the only Sun Belt softball student-athlete to earn a weekly honor more than once in 2016. The sophomore right-hander went 2-0 this weekend with 26 strikeouts to a walk in 14 innings and only four runs allowed (three earned) on 10 hits. Brown struck out 13 UT Arlington batters in each start, raising her season total to 226, eight shy of tying Beth Pilgrim’s program season record 234, set in 2009. Brown has now thrown 10 or more strikeouts in 14 of her 25 total appearances this season.
Community Coffee Student-Athlete of the Week
Aleah Craighton, UL Lafayette, Outfield, Sophomore
Craighton reached base in nine of 11 plate appearances, did not strikeout in any of those appearances and hit .714 (5-for-7) in the Ragin’ Cajuns sweep of Georgia State which represented the 26th consecutive Sun Belt series win dating back to March 2013. Three of Craighton’s five base hits went for extra bases, as she posted two home runs and a double leading to a 1.714 slugging percentage. She closed the GSU series by reaching base in each of her final eight plate appearances, either by base hit or drawing a walk, building to her final on base percentage of .818. The Cajuns center fielder scored at least one in each game of the series and crossed home plate twice in each of the final two games. Posted three RBI in helping Louisiana build a 4-0 lead, and later drew a one-out walk in the top of the seventh inning to set up DJ Sanders’ game-winning home run in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader (6-5 win over GSU). Capped off her series performance in Atlanta with 2-for-2, both hits for extra bases (double, home run), and posted her 13th home run of the season which is a new personal single-season best total.
Previous Pitchers of the Week
Feb. 16 - Devin Brown, South Alabama
Feb. 23 - Katie Worley, Georgia State
Mar. 1 - Kylee Jo Trahan, UL Lafayette
Mar. 8 - Randi Rupp, Texas State
Mar. 15 - Ashley Rainey, Troy
Mar. 21 - Devin Brown, South Alabama
Mar. 28 - Devin Brown, South Alabama
Apr. 4 - Alex Stewart, UL Lafayette
Previous Student-Athletes of the Week
Feb. 16 - Lexie Elkins, UL Lafayette
Feb. 23 - Rochelle Roberts, UL Monroe
Mar. 1 - Ivie Drake, Georgia State
Mar. 8 - DJ Sanders, UL Lafayette
Mar. 15 - Lydia Witkowski, Georgia Southern
Mar. 21 - Hannah Day, Troy
Mar. 28 - Shellie Landry, UL Lafayette
Apr. 4 - Britnea Barilli, UT Arlington
Around the #FunBelt
South’s Streak
University of South Alabama softball took all three games at home versus Texas-Arlington this weekend, completing a fourth-straight Sun Belt Conference series sweep and running its league winning streak to 12 games. USA (24-11, 12-2 SBC) took game one, 6-1, behind one of two Devin Brown 13-strikeout performances on the weekend. Three Jaguars recorded multiple hits, as the Jaguars outhit the Mavericks, 8-3. Freshman Haleigh Lane batted 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored in game two, as USA defeated UTA, 5-1, outhitting the visitors, 9-4. Destin Vicknair picked up her fifth consecutive victory, scattering four hits and allowing only one run with four strikeouts. Kaleigh Todd tied her career high in hits in the Jags’ 7-3 game three win, going 4-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Lane and Stephanie Pilkington drove in two runs apiece, and Brown struck out 13 batters again to no walks, allowing only three runs on seven hits. South Alabama batted .319 in the series, outscoring Texas-Arlington, 18-5, with a collective on-base percentage of .418. USA moved to 9-0 all-time versus the Mavericks. The Jaguar pitching staff recorded 30 total strikeouts to three walks in 21 innings, limiting UTA to a .171 batting average. The Jaguars host Nicholls State this Wednesday in a midweek, non-conference clash set for a 6 p.m. start.
The Golden Coyne
ULM posted a 2-3 record this past week, picking up a 3-2 win over Louisiana Tech and 2-0 victory over Troy behind junior Melanie Coyne’s fourth complete-game shutout of the season. Coyne took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and scattered two hits and struck out two. ULM’s ace now leads the SBC in innings pitched this year at 164. Junior Rochelle Roberts batted .643 during the five-game streak and currently has a six-gamehitting streak alive. The lefty recorded her eighth three-hit performance of the season in game two versus Troy. Roberts boasted a .700 (7-10) batting average against Troy and went a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts. Junior Sidney Coy and sophomore Cheyanne Lyon each hit .357 (5-14) last week and seniors Amye Barre and Faith Bohack and junior McKinley Marks each notched a homer.