The Ragin Cajuns softball team, to the surprise of no one, has been picked as the favorite to win the Sun Belt Conference Championship for a second straight year.
In a release put out on Tuesday afternoon by the Sun Belt announced their entire preseason All-Conference team. The selections were based on votes by the league’s nine head coaches.
Along with being tabbed the preseason favorite, Lexie Elkins, the two-time reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year, was picked to be the Preseason Player of the Year heading into her senior season. Elkins is coming off a stellar year, being named the Division I Catcher of the Year by Diamond Sports and hitting a school-record 32 home runs. Those 32 home runs led the nation in all levels of collegiate softball and tied for second all-time on the single-season list.
But Elkins wasn’t the only Cajun to be honored, as the softball team led the conference with five players on the 2016 Preseason All-Conference Team. Haley Hayden, Shellie Landry, DJ Sanders, and Kelsey Vincent all join Elkins on the list.
Softball Preseason All-Conference Team (Cajuns Players in BOLD
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
-Clint Domingue