Ragin’ Cajuns’ Dalton, Ellyson top Sun Belt Softball Preseason Honors

NEW ORLEANS – Louisiana topped the preseason accolades entering the 2020 season, picked as the unanimous preseason favorite to win the Sun Belt Conference softball regular-season title with senior shortstop Alissa Dalton selected as Preseason Player of the Year and senior pitcher Summer Ellyson tabbed as Preseason Pitcher of the Year in a vote by the league’s head coaches.

A consensus top 10 in the national preseason polls, Louisiana received all 10 first-place votes and 100 points to headline the coaches’ preseason poll with Troy (85 points), UTA (77 points) and Texas State (74 points) rounding out the top four spots.

Dalton, the reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year and two-time All-Sun Belt first-team selection, returns as one of the top shortstops in the nation and a leader for the Ragin’ Cajuns at the plate, on the base pads and in the field. Offensively, she hit a career-best .400 a year ago and emerged as one of the nation’s top clutch hitters, delivering 24 of 43 RBI in two-out situations. Dalton once again proved to be a tough out, posting a second straight season of 190-plus plate appearances and less than 10 strikeouts. Defensively, the Cypress, Texas, native sported a .960 fielding percentage and delivered 218 assists over 347 chances at shortstop.

Ellyson is back in the circle for a final season in Lafayette. The reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year and two-time All-Sun Belt first-team selection captured the second-most wins (39) and third-most strikeouts (354) in program history, leading Louisiana to one of the best seasons in school history. She ranked in the top 10 nationally in all major pitching categories and carried a sub-2.00 ERA for the entire season. A 2019 National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America pick, Ellyson claimed 20 of the 25 wins in the Ragin’ Cajuns’ undefeated conference run, becoming the first individual in league history to amass 20 conference wins in a single season. The 10-time Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week has already amassed a stellar career that includes 63 wins, 1.30 ERA, 574 strikeouts, only 95 earned runs surrendered in 510.3 innings and a .166 opponent batting average.

Dalton and Ellyson headline a preseason team that features 10 All-Sun Belt selections (six first-team and four second-team) from a year ago.

The 2020 Sun Belt softball season gets underway on Friday, Feb. 7, with all 10 teams in action over the opening weekend. The 2020 Sun Belt Softball Championship is set for May 6-9 at the Robert E. Heck Softball Complex in Atlanta.

Follow #SunBeltSB online at SunBeltSports.org on social media via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

2020 SUN BELT CONFERENCE SOFTBALL PRESEASON POLL & HONORS
Preseason Coaches’ Poll
First-place votes in parentheses

1. Louisiana (10) – 100 points
2. Troy – 85
3. UTA – 77
4. Texas State – 74
5. Coastal Carolina – 56
6. Appalachian State – 47
7. Georgia Southern – 36
8. South Alabama – 31
9. ULM – 26
10. Georgia State – 18

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