UL Lafayette Picked as 2016 Softball Champions, Places Five on Preseason All-Conference Team



NEW ORLEANS – UL Lafayette, the reigning Sun Belt Conference softball champion, enters the 2016 season as the favorite to claim the league title. Ragin' Cajun starting catcher, senior Lexie Elkins, was tabbed as the Preseason Player of the Year; along with four other Ragin' Cajuns who were named to the Preseason All-Conference Team.

The Sun Belt Conference announced its entire Softball Preseason All-Conference team with selections voted on by the league's nine head coaches.

Elkins, the two-time reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year (2014, 2015) is returning for her senior season behind the plate for the Cajuns. She was named as the First Team All-American and Diamond Sports/NFCA Division I Catcher of the Year in 2015 after posting a .541 batting average. She generated a school-record 32 home runs, which led all levels of collegiate softball and tied for second on the NCAA all-division single-season list. Elkins also led the nation in RBI's per game with an average of 1.54, recording 53 in league play. Recording 20 homeruns in 2015, she upped her career total to 11 multiple-home run games.

The Ragin' Cajuns, who finished the 2015 campaign with a 42-12 record, are coming off their fourth-straight NCAA Super Regional appearance. They are returning all but one of the nine hitters from its 2015 starting lineup that produced a school-record 116 home runs, and led the league with a total of five student-athletes earning preseason accolades.

Senior Kelsey Vincent, a 2015 All-SBC selection, leads a decorated infield for the Cajuns. Vincent led the league's first basemen in home runs (13) and slugging percentage (.755). Hayley Hayden (second base) begins her junior campaign after being named to the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team for the second straight season. She reached 60 runs, 60 hits, and 50 RBI for the second straight year, ranking in the top ten in the NCAA in runs per game (1.22). Sophomore shortstop DJ Sanders represented the Sun Belt and the Cajuns on the national stage, as a member of 2015 U.S. Junior Women's National Team over the summer. She started her entire freshman season at shortstop for the Cajuns last season, leading the league's shortstops in fewest errors -- only eight in 157 chances.

UL Lafayette outfielder Shellie Landry was also named to the 2016 Preseason All-Conference team, after recording a slugging percentage of .826 and 1.09 RBI per game. This will be the fourth all-conference accolade of her career.

Texas State's Randi Rupp was named the 2016 Sun Belt Preseason Pitcher of the Year. As a freshman, Rupp quickly made her mark by leading the league in strikeouts with 293. She was named First-Team All-Sun Belt Conference last season, as well as to the NFCA All-Region Second-Team. She threw her first collegiate perfect game just weeks after throwing her first no-hitter and the first Texas State no-hitter since 2012. After just one season, she is already tied for fifth at Texas State in all-time season shutouts and eighth in all-time career shutouts with 11.

Rupp, who earned back-to-back Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week honors last season, is joined by senior first baseman Kendall Wiley representing the Bobcats on the Preseason All-Sun Belt team. Wiley led the Bobcats with a .387 batting average in 53 starts and finished the 2015 season with a career-high 11 home runs.

South Alabama, the reigning Sun Belt Tournament Champion, was picked to finish second in this year's preseason poll. Winning a third Sun Belt Conference tournament in four years last May, the Jaguars advanced to the final of the NCAA Regional stage for the fourth season in a row. Representing South Alabama on the Preseason All-Conference Team is sophomore Devin Brown and seniors Emily Messer and Stephanie Pilkington.

Brown was voted to the 2015 All-Tournament Team after shutting out UL Lafayette in the championship game. In her freshman season, she recorded 183 strikeouts in 117.1 innings. Messer, a senior third baseman, was also voted to the SBC All-Tournament Team after back-to-back 2-for-4 performances at the event with two total runs and RBI. In the outfield, Pilkington was tabbed second-team All-SBC after reaching base safely in 19 consecutive contests.

Placing two student-athletes on the Preseason All-Conference team, Georgia State was picked to finished third in 2016. Looking to build on last spring's 38-22 campaign, the Panthers will be led by senior Taylor Anderson and sophomore Ivie Drake. As a freshman in 2015, Drake earned an impressive number of honors, including: NFCA All-America second-team, NFCA All-Region, Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, All-Sun Belt first-team, Sun Belt All-Tournament, and three SBC weekly awards. She hit .462 with 22 homeruns. Anderson, a first-team All-Sun Belt selection, started all 60 games at shortstop last season. She finished with a .337 average in the leadoff spot.

Junior outfielder Rochelle Roberts is expected to lead UL Monroe's charge in 2016, after recording the highest batting average in program history at .365. The lone Warhawk on the 2016 Preseason All-Conference Team, she was a First Team All-Conference selection in 2015, notching 65 hits in 170 at-bats.

UT Arlington, tabbed seventh in this year's preseason poll, is represented by senior Mya Anderson on the preseason team. Anderson provided the power for the Maverick offense, starting 46 games in the DP position. Her .641 slugging percentage was aided by 41 RBI on 47 hits, with 13 homeruns.

The 2016 Sun Belt Conference softball season begins Thursday, February 11th. The 2016 Softball Championship is set for May 11-14 at Jaguar Field in Mobile, Alabama.

Softball Preseason All-Conference Team
Taylor Rogers, Georgia Southern, Junior, Outfield
Taylor Anderson, Georgia State, Senior, Shortstop
Ivie Drake, Georgia State, Sophomore, Catcher
Devin Brown, South Alabama, Sophomore, Pitcher
Emily Messer, South Alabama, Senior, Third Base
Stephanie Pilkington, South Alabama, Senior, Outfield
Randi Rupp, Texas State, Sophomore, Pitcher
Kendall Wiley, Texas State, Senior, First Base
Lexie Elkins, UL Lafayette, Senior, Catcher
Haley Hayden, UL Lafayette, Junior, Second Base
Shellie Landry, UL Lafayette, Senior, Outfield
DJ Sanders, UL Lafayette, Sophomore, Shortstop
Kelsey Vincent, UL Lafayette, Senior, First Base
Rochelle Roberts, UL Monroe, Junior, Outfield
Mya Anderson, UT Arlington, Senior, Designated Player

Preseason Student-Athlete of the Year
Lexie Elkins, UL Lafayette, Catcher, Senior

Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Randi Rupp, Texas State, Pitcher, Sophomore

2016 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Poll (First Place Votes)
1. UL Lafayette (8) - 98 pts
2. South Alabama (1) - 90 pts
3. Georgia State - 74 pts
4. Texas State - 71 pts
5. Troy - 66 pts
6. UL Monroe - 56 pts
7. UT Arlington - 46 pts
8. Georgia Southern - 38 pts
9. Appalachian State - 28 pts

Meant to add to the original post, but I wish they wouldn't schedule the Cajuns & Jags series early in the season. This year as well as last it was the opening weekend. I don't have the actual numbers to back it up, but I just think it would be better for power rankings and end of season SOS boost to have the series closer to the end of the season. JMO

Looks like we're all playing for third place.

Yeah that looks about right for us.

(01-27-2016 02:40 PM)EigenEagle Wrote:  Looks like we're all playing for third place.

This is some what a rebuilding year for us. Arguably our best hitter transferred to Missouri. We only have one pitcher with experience as our other pitchers graduated or transferred. Other than ULL I believe the Belt is wide open.

(01-27-2016 01:54 PM)CajunAmos Wrote:  Meant to add to the original post, but I wish they wouldn't schedule the Cajuns & Jags series early in the season. This year as well as last it was the opening weekend. I don't have the actual numbers to back it up, but I just think it would be better for power rankings and end of season SOS boost to have the series closer to the end of the season. JMO

I agree. I think this should be the last series of the year. There is always something on the line when UL and USA play.

Forget 3rd place. I would be happy with 7th after the disaster that was GS softball last year.

(01-27-2016 01:54 PM)CajunAmos Wrote:  Meant to add to the original post, but I wish they wouldn't schedule the Cajuns & Jags series early in the season. This year as well as last it was the opening weekend. I don't have the actual numbers to back it up, but I just think it would be better for power rankings and end of season SOS boost to have the series closer to the end of the season. JMO

IMO it would not make a difference in the ending power ranking or SOS. It however would be much bigger game.

My only guess for scheduling the Cajuns-Jags series so early is that the tournament that follows is likely to pit those same two schools together.