Sun Belt announces 2024 All-Conference Softball teams. postseason awards

NEW ORLEANS – Following a vote of the conference’s 12 head coaches, Texas State’s Jessica Mullins, James Madison’s Payton List, and Louisiana’s Mihyia Davis, Brooke Ellestad, and Gerry Glasco received the Sun Belt Conference’s softball postseason honors. The conference office also announced the 2024 Softball All-Sun Belt Teams on Tuesday.

Louisiana’s Mihyia Davis was named the Sun Belt Softball Player of the Year; Texas State’s Jessica Mullins was selected as the Pitcher of the Year; James Madison’s Payton List was tabbed as the Freshman of the Year; Louisiana’s Brooke Ellestad was dubbed the Newcomer of the Year and Louisiana’s Gerry Glasco was honored as the Coach of the Year.

Sophomore outfielder Mihyia Davis consistently delivered at the plate to stir the Louisiana offense, batting .419 in conference play and .421 in non-conference play against the nation’s No. 1-rated non-conference strength of schedule. The Lovelady, Texas, native produced 26 multiple-hit games, including 11 in league action, and was the only player in the Sun Belt to reach 80 base hits in the regular season. Davis recorded at least one base hit in 51 of 56 games overall and in 22 of 24 conference contests. In addition to being recognized as the Sun Belt Softball Preseason Player of the Year, Davis is a reigning NFCA All-American and is considered one of the nation’s top defensive outfielders, helping control the opposition’s running game and limiting extra base hits. She led the Sun Belt in stolen bases in conference play with 16, pushing her above 20 overall for the second straight season. Davis also ended the regular season batting .420 over 206 plate appearances.

Senior pitcher Jessica Mullins put together a standout season in the circle for Texas State. Mullins closed the regular season with a league-leading 1.43 ERA in conference play. The Tarkington, Texas, native also ranked in the top three in strikeouts (86), wins (12), and saves (3). In her 107.1 innings pitched against league foes, Mullins notched eight complete games and recorded five shutouts. She also allowed just 16 extra-base hits while batters averaged .207 against her, a mark that ranks fourth in the conference. An ace in the circle for the Bobcats, Mullins leads the nation with 27 victories and totaled 16 complete games in 2024. She also finished the regular season with 196 strikeouts in the regular season, allowing just 30 extra-base hits. Mullins threw a perfect game against UTEP in the Bobcats’ non-conference slate and tallied eight shutouts on the year.

Redshirt freshman Payton List played in 43 games for James Madison, starting 38 at designated player and left field. In conference play, she owned a .395 batting average in 24 games, including a team-leading seven home runs, 22 RBI, six doubles, and 57 total bases. The Beaver, Pa., native, also owns a .420 on base percentage in conference play. Across all games, List finished fourth on the team with. a .343 batting average with nine home runs and 29 RBI. She sits ninth in the Sun Belt in slugging percentage (.667) and 10th in OPS (1.052). In addition, she had a 16-game on base streak at one point in the season, and finished fourth on the team in RBI (29). In the circle, she made 30 appearances along with 13 starts for the Dukes. In 85.2 innings of work, List struck out 72 batters.

Junior Brooke Ellestad had a banner debut season with Louisiana, highlighted by her league-leading .474 batting average and 34 RBI during conference play. Ellestad spearheaded the Ragin’ Cajuns championship run with 26 RBI in the first half of conference play alone. The Kimberly, Wis, native, also led the Cajuns and the Sun Belt with 37 base hits in conference play. Her strong showing in conference play was boosted by 12 multiple-hit games and nine multiple-RBI games. The third baseman exited the opening weekend of Sun Belt play with a .500-plus average and remained above the mark through Week 7. Overall, she totaled 17 multiple-hit games and a team-best 11 multiple-RBI games while tallying 119 assists over a combined 200 chances playing shortstop and third base. Ellestad started all 24 games in conference play at third base, fielding .957 and collecting 65 assists while cleanly fielding all but four of 94 total chances.

Gerry Glasco guided Louisiana to a fifth consecutive Sun Belt Conference regular season championship and 25th consecutive 40-win season. Glasco directed the Ragin’ Cajuns to a remarkable turnaround after a 9-12 start, which included an upset win at No. 1 Oklahoma that kickstarted a season-ending stretch where the Cajuns won 31 of the final 35 games. Under his direction, Louisiana claimed every Sun Belt Conference series to extend the nation’s leading streak of consecutive conference series won to 89 straight. In addition, Louisiana captured 12 wins vs. Top 50 RPI squads, highlighted by wins over Oklahoma, LSU, Cal, Baylor, Texas State and South Alabama. The Ragin’ Cajun offense batted a Sun Belt-best .342 in conference play with eight batters in the lineup finishing with a .300-plus average.

Louisiana (7), Texas State (4), Coastal Carolina (3), Marshall (3), James Madison (3), App State (2), South Alabama (2), Southern Miss (2), and Troy (2) each had multiple All-Sun Belt recipients. 11-of-12 Sun Belt programs were represented on the two All-Sun Belt teams.

The 2024 Sun Belt Conference Championship begins Wednesday in San Marcos, Texas. The Tournament runs through May 11, when a conference champion will be crowned and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

2024 Sun Belt Conference Softball Postseason Awards

Player of the Year: Mihyia Davis, Louisiana (So., OF – Lovelady, Texas)
Pitcher of the Year: Jessica Mullins, Texas State (Sr., P – Tarkington, Texas)
Freshman of the Year: Payton List, James Madison (R-Fr., DP – Beaver, Pa.)
Newcomer of the Year: Brooke Ellestad, Louisiana (Jr., 3B – Kimberly, Wis.)
Coach of the Year: Gerry Glasco, Louisiana

All-Sun Belt First Team 
Georgia Hood, Coastal Carolina (So., 1B – Mount Gambier, Australia)
Brooklyn Ulrich, Marshall (R-So., 2B – Mesa, Ariz.)
Hannah Earls, Texas State (Sr., SS – Willis, Texas)
Brooke Ellestad, Louisiana (Jr., 3B – Kimberly, Wis.)
Sara Vanderford, Texas State (Gr., 3B – Pasadena, Texas)
Mihyia Davis, Louisiana (So., OF – Lovelady, Texas)
Reed Butler, James Madison (Gr., OF – Pomfret, Md.)
Kayt Houston, App State (Sr., OF – Rock Hill, S.C.)
Mackenzie Brasher, South Alabama (Gr., OF – Orange Beach, Ala.)
Bella Henzler, James Madison (So., C – Allison Park, Pa.)
Hannah Borden, Southern Miss (Gr., C – Trussville, Ala.)
Payton List, James Madison (R-Fr., DP – Beaver, Pa.)
Olivia Lackie, South Alabama (Sr., P – Walker, La.)
Jessica Mullins, Texas State (Sr., P – Tarkington, Texas)
Sam Landry, Louisiana (Jr., P – Mont Belvieu, Texas)

All-Sun Belt Second Team 
Sam Roe, Louisiana (JR., 1B – Destin, Fla.)
JJ Smith, Texas State (Sr., 1B – Rosenberg, Texas)
Alexa Langeliers, Louisiana (Jr., 2B – Keller, Texas)
Taylor McKinney, Troy (Jr., 2B – Montgomery, Ala.)
Audra Thompson, Troy (Sr., SS – Kissimmee, Fla.)
Sydney Bickel, Marshall (Sr., SS – Peoria, Ariz.)
Delaney Keith, Coastal Carolina (So., 3B – Nampa, Idaho)
Lourdes Bacon, ULM (Sr., OF – San Antonio, Texas)
Emma Davis, Georgia Southern (So., OF – Grayson, Ga.)
Bella Gerlach, Marshall (So., OF – Corydon, Ind.)
Peyton Darnell, App State (Gr., C – Fort Mill, S.C.)
Laney Credeur, Louisiana (Jr., DP – Old Mines, Mo.)
Jana Lee, Southern Miss (Jr., DP – Albany, Ga.)
Raelee Brabham, Coastal Carolina (5th Yr., P – Moncks Corner, S.C.)
Chloe Riassetto, Louisiana (So., P –  Friendswood, Texas)