NEW ORLEANS – Louisiana has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2023 Sun Belt Conference softball title in a vote of the league’s 12 head coaches.
Troy’s Kelly Horne also was selected as the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Softball Preseason Player of the Year and Texas State’s Jessica Mullins was tabbed as the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Softball Preseason Pitcher of the Year to headline the league’s preseason honors announced Wednesday.
Louisiana, the three-time defending Sun Belt regular season and tournament champion, claimed all 12 first-place votes to be selected as the conference’s preseason favorite for the fifth consecutive year. Texas State checks in at No. 2 with 130 votes and South Alabama comes in at No. 3 with 118 votes to round out the top third of the conference. Louisiana is ranked in every major national poll heading into the 2023 season, including a No. 22 nod by Softball America.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (47-13, 23-4 SBC in 2022) are coming off its 23
rd consecutive 40-win season and NCAA Tournament appearance. In the 2022 season, Louisiana placed a conference-high nine players on the All-Sun Belt team, produced five NFCA All-Central Region performers, recorded a program-record .351 season batting average, and generated the most home runs in head coach Gerry Glasco’s tenure (82).
Louisiana returns three key pieces to last season's pitching success in Meghan Schorman, Kandra Lamb and Sam Landry. The returners are headlined by last season’s Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year and top hitter for average Jourdyn Campbell (.392). The list of returners also features First Team All-Conference members Sophie Piskos and Karly Heath, leading home run hitters Alexa Langeliers and Heath (13 each), leading run-producer Stormy Kotzelnick (51 RBI) and stolen-bases leader Maddie Hayden (28-of-34).
Horne, the 2023 Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year, is coming off her second straight All-Sun Belt selection after she led the league with 14 home runs and a .530 on-base percentage in 2022. She broke her own school record with her on-base mark, which also ranked 18
th in the country. In addition, Horne ranked among the top 10 in the Sun Belt in batting average, OPS, runs scored, total bases and slugging percentage. She finished the 2022 campaign ranked fifth in the country, drawing 0.85 walks per game and still managed to hit at a .353 clip with a .729 slugging percentage. Horne registered 10 multi-hit games during the season, which included victories over Ohio State, LSU, and Ole Miss. Heading into the 2023 season, Horne has been named the No. 7 second baseman in the country by Extra Innings Softball. According to one of the top collegiate softball media outlets, Horne is the top-ranked second baseman outside the SEC, ACC, Pac-12, and Big 12.
Mullins, the reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year and an All-Sun Belt First Team selection, is the 2023 Sun Belt Preseason Pitcher of the Year after a standout sophomore season for Texas State. A year ago, the Tarkington, Texas product was top-10 in the country in wins (6
th with 27) and innings pitched (5
th with 241.0) while also ranking 20
th nationally in strikeouts with 253. In 2021 as a sophomore, Mullins was 27-13 with a 1.80 ERA and 253 strikeouts against 54 walks in 241.0 innings pitched. She turned in 22 complete games, including six shutouts and another five combined shutouts, and opponents hit .212 against. She was the only qualifying pitcher in the Sun Belt with an ERA below 2.00. She carried a 1.47 ERA in conference-only games. The Bobcats’ pitcher enters the 2023 season among the program's best in several career categories, including ERA (4th; 1.76), wins (6th; 47), strikeouts (6th; 423) and appearances (10th; 84). Mullins was also named to the 2023 Collegiate Player of the Year Award watch list, the lone Sun Belt rep on the preseason watchlist and just one of 15 pitchers recognized.
Sun Belt softball teams begin play on Friday, Feb. 10. The 2023 Sun Belt Conference Tournament will take place May 10-13, 2023 at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park in Lafayette, La.
2023 Sun Belt Conference Softball Preseason Coaches Poll
- Louisiana (12) – 144
- Texas State – 130
- South Alabama – 118
- Troy – 99
- James Madison – 93
- Marshall – 80
- Southern Miss – 68
- App State – 63
- ULM – 44
- Coastal Carolina – 43
- Georgia State – 27 / Georgia Southern – 27
2023 Sun Belt Conference Softball Preseason Awards
Preseason Player of the Year
Kelly Horne, Troy
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Jessica Mullins, Texas State
Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
P – Jessica Mullins, Texas State
P – Olivia Lackie, South Alabama
C – Sophie Piskos, Louisiana
1B – Hannah Shifflett, James Madison
1B – Stormy Kotzelnick, Louisiana
2B – Kelly Horne, Troy
SS – Alexa Langeliers, Louisiana
3B – Jourdyn Campbell, Louisiana
3B – Sara Vanderford, Texas State
DP – Karly Heath, Louisiana
DP – Iyanla De Jesus, Coastal Carolina
OF – Ciara Trahan, Texas State
OF – Maddie Hayden, Louisiana
OF – Mackenzie Brasher, South Alabama
OF – Kayt Houston, App State