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2023 ALL-LOUISIANA COLLEGIATE SOFTBALL TEAM Available to all at 3 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, June 20 • All-time list of All-Louisiana softball major awards (PDF file) • About the Louisiana Sports Writers Association: www.lswa.info By Ed Cassiere Associate Athletics Director for Strategic Communications, Xavier University (written for the Louisiana Sports Writers Association) The University of Louisiana at Lafayette does not have the most first-team selections on the 2023 All-Louisiana collegiate softball team — LSU led that category with six — but the Ragin' Cajuns won 4-of-5 major awards. The Cajuns' standouts are: • Outfielder Karly Heath, Hitter of the Year. • Right-hander Sam Landry, Pitcher of the Year. • Outfielder Mihyia Davis, Freshman of the Year. • Gerry Glasco, Coach of the Year. The other major award went to Mariana Torres, who plays second base for McNeese and earned Newcomer of the Year. The Cajuns did not have a nominee in that category. A Louisiana Sports Writers Association panel of media and sports publicists selected the All-Louisiana team, based on statistics and performances through the teams' conference tournaments. It's the fifth time in the 37-year history of this team that a school won four major awards in one season. The Cajuns also accomplished that in 2012, 2008 and 1992, and LSU did it in 2007. Heath, a senior from North Augusta, S.C., hit .360 with 24 extra-base hits — 14 home runs — and 43 RBIs. She also was Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. Landry, a sophomore from Mont Belvieu, Texas, was 17-4 with a 2.02 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 131 2/3 innings. She was the outstanding player of the Sun Belt Tournament, which the Cajuns won with a 1-0 decision against Marshall in the championship game. Landry pitched that shutout, a one-hitter with 11 strikeouts. Davis, from Lovelady, Texas, hit .383 with two homers, 18 RBIs and 46 stolen bases in 53 attempts. Glasco's Cajuns finished 50-16 overall, 22-2 in the Sun Belt (first place) and reached the super-regional round of NCAA nationals. Glasco became the ninth softball coach to win the state award multiple times. He shared the honor in 2019. Torres, a sophomore from Pflugerville, Texas, and a transfer from Texas A&M, hit .296 with two home runs and 36 RBIs and helped McNeese win its second straight Southland Conference regular-season championship and its third consecutive SLC Tournament title. The Cowgirls finished 47-16 and reached an NCAA regional title game for the second straight year. LSU's first-team All-Louisiana players are pitcher Sydney Berzon, Danieca Coffey at third base, Taylor Pleasants at shortstop, Ciara Briggs in the outfield, Georgia Clark at designated player and Ali Newland at utility. The Csjuns were next with four first-team players: Landry, Heath, Davis and Lauren Allred, who plays first base and whose fourth-inning homer produced the only run in the Sun Belt Tournament final. Also on the 13-member first team are pitcher Whitney Tate of McNeese, catcher Bailey Krolczyk of Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls' Erin Krause at second base. There are 14 on the second team — Alexa Poché of Nicholls and McKenzie Redoutey of LSU tied for the final outfield spot — and Southeastern led with four selections. SLU's second-team players are pitcher KK Ladner, Lexi Johnson ar first base, Maria Detillier at third base and Audrey Greely at designated player. McNeese has three second-team selections: Torres, Reese Reyna at shortstop and Alayis Seneca in the outfield. Also on the second team are LSU pitcher Ali Kilponen, pitcher Chloe Bennett and utility Katie Salling of LSU-Eunice, catcher Sophie Piskos of the Cajuns and outfielder Kylie Neel of Louisiana Tech. Seven student-athletes received honorable mention. NOTES: There are four first-team freshmen; no All-Louisiana softball team from 2007-22 had as many . . . The Cajuns' Landry and Southeastern's Krolczyk were the only players this season to receive every available first-team vote . . . Landry received five votes to win Pitcher of the Year, and Southeastern's Ladner was second with four votes . . . McNeese's Torres received seven votes to earn Newcomer of the Year; Southeastern pitcher Cera Blanchard was second with six votes . . . LSU's Pleasants made the first team for the third consecutive year . . . Pleasants' teammate, Briggs, and the Cajuns' Heath repeated on the first team . . . McNeese's Tate made the first team for the second time in three years . . . Southeastern's Greely is second team for the third consecutive season . . . LSU's Kilponen is All-Louisiana for the third straight season, but she was on the first team the previous two years.
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