NEW ORLEANS, LA. - With one week away until the start of the 2020 season, the Sun Belt Conference released its 2020 preseason all-conference softball selections along with the preseason coaches' poll.
For a second-straight year, Coastal Carolina junior Courtney Dean was the lone Chanticleer selection voted to the All-Sun Belt preseason team.
Dean led the Chanticleers with a .327 batting average and 36 runs batted in, but even with her 2019 season cut short due to injury, the Indian Trail, N.C. native was en route to a second-straight all-conference selection. Dean finished the season ranked second in the conference with 13 home runs and led the Sun Belt Conference with a .654 slugging percentage.
Louisiana led the balloting with eight of the 16 selections followed by UT Arlington and Texas State with two. Coastal, Troy, Georgia Southern, and UL Monroe had one apiece.
A season ago, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns went 25-0 in Sun Belt play and made a trip to the NCAA Regionals. The Cajuns received all 10 first-place votes in the preseason poll and are the overwhelming favorites to win the regular-season championship for the second consecutive year and fifth time in six years.
Rounding out the preseason coaches' poll is Troy, UT Arlington, Texas State, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, South Alabama, UL Monroe, and Georgia State.
With the help of a deep run in the 2019 Sun Belt Tournament, the Chanticleers were able to break out of the seventh and eighth-place selection that they were voted in the previous three preseasons to earn a fifth-place selection in 2020.
You can catch the Chanticleers on February 7 at 5:15 p.m. as they start the 2020 season with Virginia Tech part of the Residence Inn Kickin' Chicken Classic.
For complete coverage of CCU softball, follow the Chanticleers on social media at @CoastalSB (twitter), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), and facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com.
Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
Summer Ellyson, Louisiana (Sr., P, Lafayette, La.)^
1
Megan Kleist, Louisiana (Sr., P, Appleton, Wisc.)
Julie Rawls, Louisiana (Sr., C, Hallsville, Texas)
1
Reagan Wright, UTA (Sr., C, Mansfield, Texas)
2
Katie Webb, Troy (Sr., 1B, Salem, Ala.)
1
Kaitlyn Alderink, Louisiana (Sr., 2B, Keller, Texas)
Hailey Mackay, Texas State (Sr., 3B, Leander, Texas)
Alissa Dalton, Louisiana (Sr., SS, Cypress, Texas)*
1
Jayden Mount, ULM (Sr., SS, Longview, Texas)
Whitney Walton, UTA (Sr., SS, Lake Jackson, Texas)
1
Tara Oltmann, Texas State (Jr., SS, Giddings, Texas)
2
Courtney Dean, Coastal Carolina (Jr., OF, Indian Trail, N.C.)2
Mekhia Freeman, Georgia Southern (Sr., OF, Newnan, Ga.)
Sarah Hudek, Louisiana (Sr., OF, Sugar Land, Texas)#
1
Raina O'Neal, Louisiana (Jr., OF, Richmond, Texas)
2
Bailey Curry, Louisiana (Jr., DP/1B, Frankfort, Ky.)
Preseason Player of the Year
Alissa Dalton, Louisiana (Sr., SS, Cypress, Texas)*
1
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Summer Ellyson, Louisiana (Sr., P, Lafayette, La.)^
1
12019 First Team All-Sun Belt selection
22019 Second Team All-Sun Belt selection
*2019 Sun Belt Player of the Year
^2019 Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year
#2019 Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year
