Following a season that resulted in the program’s second trip to the NCAA Division II National Championships in the past three seasons, Southern Arkansas will enter the 2019 softball season as the favorite in the Great American Conference following a vote of the league’s 12 head coaches.
The Lady Muleriders garnered the first-place vote from all 11 other institutions after they went 60-11 in 2018.
They return a pair of All-Americans in pitcher Victoria Taylor and third baseman Faith Otts.
Taylor posted a 33-1 record with a 1.34 ERA and 243 strikeouts. She won the league’s pitching triple crown.
Otts hit .353 with 15 home runs and 69 RBI. She ranked second in the GAC in RBI and hits.
The Lady Muleriders received 121 points and are returning 13 players from last season’s team that not only went 60-11 on the season, including a 38-6 mark in conference, but finished their season in the semifinals of the College Softball World Series.
SAU starts the season on Feb. 1 as they take part in the Ronnie Hawkins Memorial Invitational in Arkadelphia.
Arkansas Tech placed second in the poll. Last year, the Golden Suns claimed their first GAC Championships title and advanced to the NCAA Regionals for the third time in four seasons. Megan Goodnight, the MVP of the GAC Championships and a D2CCA All-American returns for her senior season.
At the plate, she hit .341 with 10 home runs and 42 RBI. Inside the circle, she won 17 games, saved a nation’s-best nine games and recorded a 1.38 ERA. Ashton Sangster also made the All-GAC First Team after she hit .343 and went a perfect 33-for-33 on stolen-base attempts.
Harding, Henderson State and Southeastern Oklahoma State finished within five points of each other for the third through fifth positions. The Lady Bisons feature Peyton Mills, a three-time All-GAC selection.
Last season, she ranked in the top 10 in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and stolen bases. They return the three pitchers that combined to win all 32 games last season.
The Reddies feature a mix of youth and experience. Michelle Sorensen returns after injuries derailed her 2018 season after only five appearances.
She owns the GAC career record for pitching wins, 64. Three freshmen garnered All-GAC honors a season ago headlined by Madie Green.
She landed on the First Team after she ranked in the top 10 in average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
Mallory Brewer and Lindsey Williams each made the Honorable Mention list.
The Savage Storm bring back four of their six 2018 All-GAC honorees, highlighted by GAC Freshman of the Year Elexis Watson. She added Honorable Mention All-America honors after she ranked second in the GAC in average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, home runs and total bases. Symphoni Shomo tallied 42 stolen bases, the top mark in the GAC
Southern Nazarene took sixth, followed by East Central and Ouachita. The Crimson Storm’s Mahina Sauer hit a league-leading .410. ECU brings back a trio of All-GAC selections – Second Team third baseman Catherine Barrera plus Honorable Mention pitcher Jacey Henry and shortstop Mariah Ewy. Ouachita’s Marissa Butler led the staff with 12 wins and a 2.90 ERA.
Northwestern Oklahoma State, Oklahoma Baptist, Arkansas-Monticello and Southwestern Oklahoma State rounded out the poll. The Lady Bison and Blossoms feature first-year head coaches. Sam Maples takes over with Oklahoma Baptist while Kyle Lem follows the late Alvy Early at UAM.
The regular season begins on Friday, February 1 with all seven teams competing in weekend tournaments. Henderson State and Ouachita co-host the Ronnie Hawkins Invitational; SAU will also participate in that event.
Arkansas Tech hosts a Winter Invitational in Houston with Southeastern Oklahoma State also attending. Oklahoma Baptist heads to the Colorado Mesa Invitational and Southern Nazarene ventures south to Lubbock Christian’s tournament.