2020 Sun Belt Softball News and Notes:
Standings | Composite Schedule | Stats | Records Book
 
AROUND #SUNBELTSB
• Sun Belt Conference softball has another busy week ahead with 27 games on the schedule, highlighted by three games on SEC Network Plus and five games on ESPN+.
 
• Louisiana (16-6, 2-1 Sun Belt) held strong in the two major national polls, ranked eighth in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 and ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25. The Ragin' Cajuns are also ranked seventh in the College Sports Madness Top 25 and D1Softball.com Top 25 and ninth in the Softball America Top 25 polls. The Ragin' Cajuns entered the season as a consensus top 10 pick among the six national preseason polls.
 
• Last week saw a couple more big wins as UTA (11-13, 2-1) shut out No. 21/18 Baylor in Waco, Texas, behind a complete-game shutout from freshman pitcher Kenedy Hines and Coastal Carolina (13-7, 1-2) halted Louisiana's 30-game conference winning streak, which dated back to April 2018, with a victory in the series opener. The Ragin' Cajuns took the series to extend their Division I-leading total of consecutive conference series won to 56 straight.
 
• Coastal Carolina's win over Louisiana was a milestone for the Chanticleers. The victory marked the 700th win for head coach Kelley Green and Coastal Carolina's first-ever win over a top 10-ranked opponent. The Chanticleers' last win over a ranked opponent was against came was March 10, 2018, over a No. 22-ranked Louisiana squad.
 
• Louisiana senior pitcher Summer Ellyson is among the Division I active career leaders in strikeouts (3rd, 673), wins (3rd, 73), earned run average (6th, 1.44) and innings pitched (7th, 602.2). Her career ERA ranks fifth in Sun Belt history.
 
• Troy (15-6, 1-2) has its home run-hitting streak ended in the series finale at UTA. The Trojans had hit at least one homer in 10-straight games, their longest streak since at least 2008. Sophomore pitcher Leanna Johnson continues to pace Troy's strong start. With a 9-3 record, Johnson leads NCAA Division I in shutouts (6) and ranks 13th nationally in strikeouts (116) and tied for 29th in wins (9). She is one of 19 pitchers in Division I so far this season with 100 or more strikeouts. Johnson has already posted five double-digit strikeout performances.
 
• South Alabama junior catcher Kamdyn Kvistad enters the week having reached base safely in a career-best 13-straight games. Kvistad leads the team and is tied for fifth in the Sun Belt with 18 RBI.
 
• ULM (10-13, 1-2) leads the Sun Belt in hits (182) and triples (8). The Warhawks boast the conference leaders in hits in sophomore outfielder Korie Kreps (31) and RBI in senior designated player/outfielder Ana Hogan (26).
 
 
• UTA head coach Peejay Brun picked up her 200th career coaching victory in the Mavericks' win over Abilene Christian on Feb. 9 to capture the Aggie Classic title in College Station, Texas. Brun enters the week needing 23 more wins to reach 100 victories at UTA.
 
• Louisiana head coach Gerry Glasco earned his 100th career coaching victory in the Ragin' Cajuns' upset win over then-No. 7 LSU on Feb. 15.
 
• Ellyson, Louisiana senior pitcher Megan Kleist and UTA senior shortstop Whitney Walton are among the initial candidates on the Top 50 watch list for the 2020 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award.
 
• Kleist (11th) and Ellyson (15th) were ranked among the best 25 Division I players entering the season by ESPN.com.
 
• Appalachian State senior third base Keri White is one of 30 initial candidates under consideration for the 2020 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate softball. The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the season. The 10 finalists on the official ballot will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2020 Women’s College World Series®.
 
• Louisiana topped the Sun Belt preseason accolades entering this season, picked as the unanimous preseason favorite to win the regular-season title with senior shortstop Alissa Dalton selected as Preseason Player of the Year and Ellyson tabbed as Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
 
• The 2020 Sun Belt Softball Championship, hosted by Georgia State, is set for May 6-9 at the Robert E. Heck Softball Complex in Atlanta.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
ArieAnn Bell, Texas State (Jr., OF, Castroville, Texas)
Texas State junior outfielder ArieAnn Bell slashed a .625 batting average, .786 on-base percentage and 1.500 slugging percentage in a 3-1 week for the Bobcats. Bell hit safely in all four games, totaling five hits with a double, two home runs and four RBI. She accounted for all four runs in the win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with a career-high three RBI and a run scored. Bell accounted for 12 total bases, six runs scored, six walks and two stolen bases in leading Texas State at the plate. She is currently riding a five-game hitting streak and has at least one hit in seven of her last eight games.
 
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Dalilah Barrera, Texas State (Sr., P, Mercedes, Texas)
Texas State senior pitcher Dalilah Barrera tossed her first career complete-game shutout, throwing a one-hitter with 12 strikeouts in the six-inning, 16-0 win over Georgia State in the first game of the weekend series with the Panthers. Her 12 strikeouts were the second-most by a Sun Belt Conference pitcher this season. Barrera retired nine consecutive Panther batters from a two-out fielding error in the bottom of the first inning to a two-out single in the bottom of the fourth. She went on to retire the next nine in a row before a fielding error gave Georgia State only its fourth baserunner of the game. Barrera struck out at least one batter in every inning, including multiple batters in five of the six innings.
 
2020 Weekly Award Winners
Player
February 11: Avery Grimes, UTA
February 18: Kimber Cortemelia, UTA
February 25: Korie Kreps, ULM
March 3: Raina O'Neal, Louisiana
March 10: ArieAnn Bell, Texas State
 
Pitcher
February 11: Allie Gardiner, UTA
February 18: Summer Ellyson, Louisiana
February 25: Raelee Brabham, Coastal Carolina
March 3: Leanna Johnson, Troy
March 10: Dalilah Barrera, Texas State
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Tuesday, March 10    
South Carolina at Coastal Carolina, 3 p.m.
Florida A&M at Troy, 5 p.m.
South Alabama at LSU (SEC Network Plus), 6 p.m.
Western Kentucky at UTA, 6 p.m.
 
Wednesday, March 11 
Troy at Samford (ESPN+), 2 p.m.
Sam Houston State at Louisiana, 4 p.m.
Georgia Southern at College of Charleston, 5 p.m.
Appalachian State at Southeastern Louisiana, 6 p.m.
Georgia State at Auburn (SEC Network Plus), 6 p.m.
Sam Houston State at Louisiana, 6 p.m.
McNeese at ULM, 6 p.m.
Texas State at Texas A&M (SEC Network Plus), 6 p.m.
 
Friday, March 13  
*Appalachian State at Louisiana (ESPN+), 6 p.m.
*Coastal Carolina at Texas State (ESPN+), 6 p.m.
*Georgia Southern at Troy, 6 p.m.
*Georgia State at South Alabama, 6 p.m.
*UTA at ULM, 6 p.m.
 
Saturday, March 14  
*Appalachian State at Louisiana, 2 p.m.
*Coastal Carolina at Texas State (ESPN+), 2 p.m.
*Georgia Southern at Troy, 2 p.m.
*UTA at ULM, 2 p.m.
*Georgia State at South Alabama, 3 p.m.
 
Sunday, March 15
*Appalachian State at Louisiana, Noon
*Coastal Carolina at Texas State (ESPN+), Noon
*Georgia Southern at Troy, Noon
*UTA at ULM, Noon
*Georgia State at South Alabama, 1 p.m.
 
All Times are Central and Subject to Change
*Sun Belt Conference contest