|
2022 ALL-LOUISIANA COLLEGIATE SOFTBALL TEAM For release in morning newspapers (newsprint editions only — NOT WEBSITES OR SOCIAL MEDIA) of Friday, June 24; available to all others, including newspaper websites and social media, at 11 p.m. CDT on Thursday, June 23 All-time list of All-Louisiana softball major awards (PDF file) By Ed Cassiere Associate Athletics Director for Strategic Communications, Xavier University (written for the Louisiana Sports Writers Association) For the second consecutive season and the third time overall, a Louisiana-Lafayette student-athlete won two major awards on the 2022 All-Louisiana collegiate softball team. Jourdyn Campbell — a Kingwood, Texas, sophomore who plays third base for the Ragin' Cajuns — is Hitter of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. The transfer from Texas A&M hit .409 with 22 extra-base hits, including 10 home runs, and 33 RBIs. She helped her team win Sun Belt Conference regular-season and tournament championships and qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Campbell prevented Louisiana Tech outfielder Sierra Sacco, the Freshman of the Year, from being the double winner this season. Campbell received nine votes to Sacco's eight for Hitter of the Year. A Louisiana Sports Writers Association panel of sports media and college softball publicists selected the All-Louisiana team, based on statistics and performances through the teams' conference tournaments. Those statistics were used in this story. Primrose Aholelei of Bossier Parish earned Pitcher of the Year, and McNeese's James Landreneau is Coach of the Year. Sacco, from the New Orleans suburb of Marrero, La., hit .441, had an on-base percentage of .535, scored 54 times and stole 28 bases. Her 83 hits broke the school season record, and she was a defensive standout with nine assists from the outfield. Sacco's batting average and runs are No. 2 on Louisiana Tech's season lists. Two-year colleges became part of the All-Louisiana softball process in 2019, and Aholelei — pronounced ah-ho-lay-lay — is the first from that group to win a major award. The right-hander from Honolulu was 28-3 with a 1.14 ERA and 344 strikeouts in 191 innings. She was chosen NJCAA and NFCA Pitcher of the Year among Division I two-year members. The first Louisiana Pitcher of the Year was selected in 2003. Through 2021, all the recipients had been from Louisiana-Lafayette or LSU. Landreneau coached McNeese to its first NCAA Tournament regional final. The Cowgirls won Southland Conference regular-season and tournament championships and finished 40-21, including a 2-2 record at nationals. Both McNeese victories at nationals were against 21st-ranked Notre Dame. The Cajuns have five All-Louisiana first-team players and lead that category for the 13th time in 14 seasons. Joining Campbell are Sophie Piskos at catcher, Stormy Kotzelnick — the Freshman of the Year runner-up — at first base, Melissa Mayeux at second base and Karly Heath at designated player. LSU had four first-team selections: pitcher Ali Kilponen, shortstop Taylor Pleasants, outfielder Ciara Briggs and utility Shelbi Sunseri. The remainder of the first team consists of pitcher Audrey Pickett of Louisiana Tech, pitcher Ashley Vallejo of McNeese and outfielder Aeriyl Mass of Southeastern Louisiana. Leading the second team are the Cajuns and Southeastern with three selections apiece. UL Lafayette's honorees are pitchers Sam Landry and Meghan Schorman and outfielder Maddie Hayden; SLU's are catcher Bailey Krolczyk, Madison Rayner at second base and designated player Audrey Greely. Also on the second team are LSU's Georgia Clark at first base and Danieca Coffey at third base, McNeese's Jil Poullard at third base, Louisiana Tech's Amanda Gonzalez at shortstop, LSU-Eunice's Maddie Leal and Northwestern State's Laney Roos in the outfield, and Louisiana Christian's Olivia Coaker and Louisiana-Monroe's Kennedy Johnson at utility. Eight student-athletes received honorable mention. This is the 36th season of All-Louisiana softball selections. For more information about the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, visit the official website at www.lswa.info. NOTES: Outfielder Ciara Bryan (2021) and catcher Lexie Elkins (2014) were the other Cajuns to earn two major awards in the same season. Bryan and Elkins, like Campbell, accomplished the hitter/newcomer double . . . LSU's Pleasants is the first to make the first team as a freshman and sophomore since LSU pitcher Carley Hoover (2015, 2016) . . . Southeastern's Mass and LSU's Kilponen are repeat first-team selections . . . Bossier's Aholelei, Southeastern's Greely and LSU's Briggs and Sunseri made the second team a year ago. Sunseri did it as a pitcher in 2021, and Greely made it as an outfielder . . . Sunseri was first-team utility in 2019 . . . For the first time since 2007, the Cajuns do not have a first-team pitcher . . . There were ties in the voting at first-team pitcher and second-team third base and utility . . . The Cajuns' Piskos was the only player this season to receive every available first-team vote.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||