RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – On Tuesday, the Great American Conference announced the results of its 2023 softball preseason coaches' poll. Southern Arkansas received seven first-place votes from the league's head coaches to enter the season as the favorite.
The Muleriders shared the 2022 regular-season title with Arkansas Tech. They earned their sixth-straight trip to the NCAA Regional. Sydney Ward earned a spot on the All-GAC First Team as a freshman after she went 16-4 inside the circle with 145 strikeouts in 142.0 innings pitched. Jaxynn Dyson, a Second-Tem pick at shortstop, led SAU with 45 runs batted in.
Harding collected two first-place votes and placed second in the balloting. In her first year at the helm,
Ashley Reeves led the team to a 38-18 record. All seven of their 2022 All-GAC selections -
Leigha Harris,
Emma Curry,
Chelsea Blankenship,
Hanna Jones,
Nicole Shano,
Maegan Pistokache and
Lily Tanski return for 2023. Harris, Curry, Blankenship, Jones and Shano made the First Team and Harris garnered the Freshman of the Year award after hitting .395 with a .460 on-base percentage. She added nine home runs and a team-leading 55 RBI.
Arkansas Tech also claimed two first-place votes and took third in the vote, one point ahead of Oklahoma Baptist. The Golden Suns won their fourth-straight GAC Championship title and qualified for the NCAA Regionals for the sixth time in the last seven years. Jordon Jones replaces Kristina McSweeney as head coach. Bailey Buffington, a Second-Team All-GAC pitcher, returns after posting a 13-6 record and a 2.28 ERA in 2022.
The Bison enter 2023 off of their best season in their Division II era as they went 33-22 last year. Pitcher Kayleigh Jones and outfielder Reagan Ford each made the First Team in 2022. Jones finished as one of just eight DII pitchers to record at least 300 strikeouts. She went 21-13 with seven shutouts and five saves. Ford hit .367 with 18 stolen bases.
Southern Nazarene claimed the final first-place vote en route to finishing fifth in the poll. Liana Heshiki posted a .389 average with a .471 on-base percentage and a .525 slugging percentage to earn First-Team All-GAC honors at catcher as a freshman.
Southeastern Oklahoma State took sixth. The Savage Storm also welcome in a first-year coach as Mackenzie Sher takes over after a four-year stint at Union University. The Savage Storm's pitching tandem of Cheyenne Mahy and Amberlyn Walsworth return after they combined for 30 wins. Mahy also hit .339 with a team leading 35 RBI.
Arkansas-Monticello placed seventh, followed by Ouachita Baptist and East Central. The Blossoms' Hannah Holdbrook earned Second-Team All-GAC honors after hitting .307 with stolen bases. ECU's Taia Harris led the Tigers with nine wins to place on the Honorable Mention team.
Henderson State, Southwestern Oklahoma State and Northwestern Oklahoma State rounded out the poll. The Bulldogs and Rangers each feature first-year coaches as Jessica Boone takes over for the Bulldogs and Casady Webb succeeds Ryan Wondrasek as Rangers head coach.
The regular season begins on Wednesday, February 1 when East Central takes on Newman in a doubleheader. The rest of the league opens on the opening February weekend. Henderson State and Ouachita co-host the Hawkins-McGhee Invitational with Arkansas-Monticello and Northwestern Oklahoma State also participating in the event. The Muleriders, Lady Bisons, Bison and Savage Storm all head to Louisiana for the Mardis Gras Invitational. Southern Nazarene and SWOSU travel to Lubbock Christian and Arkansas Tech participates in the UT Tyler event.
The 2023 Under Armour GAC Championships takes place from Thursday, May 4 through Saturday, May 6 in Bentonville, Arkansas at the Tiger Athletic Complex.
