Wallace Named Preseason Pitcher of the Year, Cajuns Tabbed 1st

Contact: Nick Ross

Sun Belt Release

LAFAYETTE, La. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns softball team was selected to finish first in the Sun Belt Conference and junior pitcher Jordan Wallace was named the Preseason Pitcher of the Year by a vote of the leagues coaches, as announced by the conference office on Monday evening.

Wallace is joined by sophomores Shellie Landry and Sara Corbello as the Cajuns' three representatives on the Sun Belt Preseason team.

WKU's Olivia Watkins was named the Preseason Player of the Year.

The Cajuns received six-of-eight first-place votes and 62 total points in the poll, with South Alabama receiving the other two first-place votes and 57 points.

"Before our focus turns to the conference schedule, we still have a lot of work ahead of us," head coach Michael Lotief said. "Conference play seems a long way away to us. This team continues to prepare day in and day out getting ready for the season and the schedule ahead of them."

Wallace went 32-9 with 382 strikeouts, while posting a 1.70 ERA in her sophomore campaign, earning all-Sun Belt first-team honors. She was named to the NFCA All-Regional team, and was the MVP of the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional after going 3-0 with three shutouts to lead the Cajuns to their eighth Regional Championship.

Sophomore outfielder Shellie Landry was named Sun Belt second-team last season, after hitting 16 home runs and 61 RBI while batting .284. She set a school record with three home runs against Southern Miss on April 10, including two in the same inning. It was the 31^st time in NCAA history in which a player hit three home runs in a game.

Sophomore Sara Corbello joins the duo of reigning all-Sun Belt selections. Corbello hit eight home runs on the season, including two in the post season. She hit her first against LSU in the regional semifinal game, and her second against Michigan in the Cajuns' 5-0 victory in the NCAA Super Regionals.

"Our conference has grown a lot as indicated last year," Lotief said. "With three teams going to postseason and competing at a high level, this year will present new challenges. There will be a lot of challenges a head, but there is a lot of time to prepare for them."

The Ragin' Cajuns open their 2014 season on Feb. 7 at Lamson Park, when they take on Northern Illinois in their first game of the 2014 Louisiana Classics. Season tickets can be purchased for $135 for reserved seats and $75 dollars for bleacher seats. Tickets are on sale at the Cajundome Ticket Office or by visiting RaginCajuns.com.

2014 Sun Belt Conference Preseason All-Conference Team

P	Jordan Wallace	Junior	Louisiana
P	Hannah Campbell	Senior	South Alabama
C	Callie Alford	Junior	Georgia State
1B	Kacie McAllister	Senior	Troy
2B	Olivia Watkins	Senior	WKU
3B	Preslie Cruce	Junior	WKU
SS	Kaitlyn Griffin	Junior	South Alabama
OF	Shellie Landry	Sophomore	Louisiana
OF	Blair Johnson	Junior	South Alabama
OF	Jessica Clifton	Senior	Georgia State
DP	Sara Corbello	Sophomore	Louisiana
At-Large	Emily Rousseau (P)	Senior	WKU
At-Large	Nina Villanueva (SS)	Junior	UT Arlington
At-Large	Callie Alford (3B)	Junior	Georgia State
At-Large	Britnea Barilli (OF)	Sophomore	UT Arlington

2014 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Player of the Year
Olivia Watkins (WKU, Senior, 2B)

2014 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Jordan Wallace (Louisiana, Junior, Pitcher)

2014 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Poll (First Place Votes)

1	Louisiana (6)	62
2	South Alabama (2)	57
3	WKU	47
4	Texas State	33
5	Georgia State	30
6	Troy	27
7	UT Arlington	21
8	ULM	11

-- www.RaginCajuns.com --

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Wallace Named Preseason Pitcher of the Year, Cajuns Tabbed 1st

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