2019 Sun Belt Softball Weekly News and Notes:
Standings | Composite Schedule | Stats | Championship | Records Book
 
AROUND #SUNBELTSB
• This week's schedule for Sun Belt softball has 22 games on the slate with the first conference matchup on ESPN+ – Troy at Louisiana on Friday, March 15.

• Louisiana (19-3, 3-0 Sun Belt) enters the week ranked 10th in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 and 11th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 polls.

• Coastal Carolina (20-4, 3-0) is the first Sun Belt team to reach 20 wins this season. The Chanticleers are on a seven-game winning streak, their longest since winning 13 in a row in 2017. Sophomore outfielder Courtney Dean's hitting streak matches Coastal Carolina's winning streak with a hit in each of her last seven games. Sophomore pitcher Kaitlin Beasley-Polko ranks tied for ninth in wins (11) and tied for fifth in saves (3).
 
• Dean and Georgia Southern senior catcher/outfielder Logan Harrell are tied for 13th nationally in home runs with eight apiece.
 
• Louisiana continues to be among the top run-producing teams in the nation this season ranked third in runs per game (7.86), sixth in batting average (.350) and seventh in on-base percentage (.438).
 
• Appalachian State (13-6, 3-0) recorded its first Sun Belt sweep since joining the conference. It was the Mountaineers' third Sun Belt series victory to go along with its 2017 series win over UTA and 2018 series win over ULM.
 
• UTA (13-10, 3-0) earned its first opening-weekend Sun Belt sweep since joining the conference. The Mavericks exploded for 25 runs and 27 hits in their last three games. Junior shortstop Whitney Walton, the Sun Belt leader in hits with 35, has reached base in each of her last 10 games.
 
• Troy freshman pitcher Leanna Johnson is one of 17 pitchers in NCAA Division I with 100 or more strikeouts so far this season. Johnson enters the week ranked sixth with 113 strikeouts.
 
• Texas State junior outfielder Christiana McDowell has been on base in six consecutive games and successfully reached base, via walk or hit, in 20-of-23 games played this season.
 
• Four Sun Belt teams are among the top 25 fielding teams in the nation – Coastal Carolina (ninth, .980), Appalachian State (10th, .978), Louisiana (12th, .977) and Troy (22nd, .974).

• Sun Belt softball is honoring the life of Geri Ann Glasco, daughter of Louisiana head coach Gerry Glasco. Geri Ann Glasco passed away on Jan. 24 as a result of a multi-vehicle accident. A standout student-athlete at Oregon, she was set to serve her first season as a volunteer assistant coach for the Ragin' Cajuns. To honor Geri Ann's memory throughout the 2019 season, Sun Belt teams are wearing stickers on their helmets blazoned with her name.

• The National Fastpitch Coaches Association, in partnership with the Natasha Watley Foundation (NWF) and the Glasco Family, has created a Geri Ann Glasco Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship will be awarded to one female assistant coach in the first five years of her career at the collegiate level. Each year this scholarship will cover costs associated with attendance to the NFCA National Convention in December.
 
• WeCOACH, in partnership with NWF and the Glasco Family, also announced the creation of a Geri Ann Glasco Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship will be awarded to a female assistant coach in the first five years of her career at the NCAA level. Each year this scholarship will cover tuition and a travel stipend to attend WeCOACH's NCAA Women Coaches Academy.

• This season is the 20th season of Sun Belt softball. Sun Belt teams have combined for 33 postseason appearances (29 NCAA Division I Softball Championship and four National Invitation Softball Championship) in 19 seasons. Over that span, the conference has compiled 66 NCAA Tournament wins, seven NCAA Super Regional appearances, three NCAA Women's College World Series appearances and one NISC Championship Round appearance.

• The 2019 Sun Belt Softball Championship, hosted by Texas State, is set for May 8-11 at the Bobcat Softball Stadium in San Marcos, Texas.

COMMUNITY COFFEE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Megan Walker, Appalachian State (Sr., OF, Raleigh, N.C.)
Appalachian State senior outfielder Megan Walker put together a fantastic weekend in the Mountaineers' sweep of Georgia Southern. Walker went a perfect 7-for-7 through the first two games and finished the series going 8-for-11 (.727) with two doubles and three RBI. On defense, she made several timely plays including an all-out dive to catch the final out in the second game to clinch Appalachian State's third Sun Belt series win.
 
COMMUNITY COFFEE PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Summer Ellyson, Louisiana (Jr., P, Lafayette, La.)
Louisiana junior pitcher Summer Ellyson guided the Ragin' Cajuns to a series sweep at defending Sun Belt champion Texas State, earning the win in all three games. Ellyson closed the series with 12.2 consecutive scoreless innings pitched, limited the Bobcats to a single run and six hits over 14.2 total innings pitched. She was key in the series clincher, entering in the fourth inning of a tied contest and not yielding a hit until the seventh inning, stranding five Bobcats in scoring position. In the series finale, Ellyson set the tone in the circle with four hitless frames tossed. Then she wrapped up her no-hit effort with 1.1 additional shutout innings after re-entering the game following the Texas State rally, which had trimmed the lead to 6-4.
 
2019 Weekly Award Winners
Player
February 12: Raina O'Neal, Louisiana
February 19: Logan Harrell, Georgia Southern
February 26: Brittani Reid, South Alabama
March 5: Whitney Walton, UTA
March 12: Megan Walker, Appalachian State
 
Pitcher
February 12: Kendra Lamb, Louisiana
February 19: Summer Ellyson, Louisiana
February 26: Kaitlin Beasley-Polko, Coastal Carolina
March 5: Kaitlin Beasley-Polko, Coastal Carolina
March 12: Summer Ellyson, Louisiana

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Tuesday, March 12   
Bryant at Coastal Carolina, Noon
 
Wednesday, March 13    
Gardner-Webb at Appalachian State, 2 p.m.
Gardner-Webb at Appalachian State, 4 p.m.
Georgia Southern at North Florida, 4 p.m.
Auburn at Georgia State, 4 p.m.
Louisiana at Nicholls, 6 p.m.
Troy at LSU (SEC Network Plus), 6 p.m.
 
Friday, March 15  
*Coastal Carolina at Georgia Southern, 1 p.m.
*UTA at Georgia State, 5 p.m.
*Troy at Louisiana (ESPN+), 6 p.m.
*Texas State at South Alabama, 6 p.m.
*Appalachian State at ULM, 6 p.m.
 
Saturday, March 16
*UTA at Georgia State, Noon
*Coastal Carolina at Georgia Southern, 1 p.m.
*Troy at Louisiana, 2 p.m.
*Appalachian State at ULM, 2 p.m.
*Texas State at South Alabama, 3 p.m.
 
Sunday, March 17
*Coastal Carolina at Georgia Southern, 11 a.m.
*Appalachian State at ULM, 11:30 a.m.
*UTA at Georgia State, Noon
*Texas State at South Alabama, Noon
*Troy at Louisiana, Noon
 
*Sun Belt Conference contest
All Times are Central and Subject to Change