LA Cajuns Garner Greatest Representation on All-Louisiana Softball Team
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball claimed the top three individual awards and led the state with six first team honorees and nine total selections on the 2019 All-Louisiana Collegiate Softball Team, the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) announced Sunday evening.
he top two player awards were claimed by junior shortstop Alissa Dalton who was named the state's Hitter of the Year and junior pitcher Summer Ellyson who was selected as the Pitcher of the Year. Head coach Gerry Glasco captured Coach of the Year honors.
Dalton and Ellyson earned All-Louisiana First Team distinction for the second straight season, and were joined on the first team by Julie Rawls at catcher, Kourtney Gremillion at first base, Sarah Hudek in the outfield and Lexie Comeaux at designated player.
Keeli Milligan earned a spot on the All-Louisiana Second Team at the utility position. Kara Gremillion, a four-time All-Louisiana honoree, and Raina O'Neal were honorable mention selections, rounding out the Ragin' Cajuns contingent which was honored.
A first team NFCA All-Central Region pick and the Sun Belt's Player of the Year, Dalton logged a .400 average and consistently delivered in clutch situations with over half of her season RBI total (24 out of 43) coming in two-out situations. The Cypress, Texas native, who was the 2018 Newcomer of the Year, added a second All-Louisiana major award to her resume.
Ellyson, a third team NFCA All-American choice and the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year, led the nation at all levels of collegiate softball with 39 wins and tallied a career-best 354 strikeouts. She was the lone unanimous first team selection on the 2019 All-Louisiana Softball squad, and her plus-18 advantage in Pitcher of the Year votes — 19 for her, one apiece for two others — was the largest of the last 10 years.
In Glasco's second season leading the program, Louisiana recorded its first 50-win season (52-6) since 2012, boasted a Top 10 national ranking, turned in only the second undefeated conference mark in Sun Belt history, established a school-record 29-game win streak, continued the streak of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (now 21 straight) and returned to Championship Sunday of an NCAA Regional.
The Ragin' Cajuns led the state in first team selections for the 11th time in 12 years. The six first teamers marked the most since claiming the exact amount in the 2017 season.
The nine total selections equaled the representation Louisiana received on the 2019 All-Sun Belt Team. It's the most overall All-Louisiana award winners since 10 were honored in 2012.
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. This is the 32nd year of All-Louisiana softball selections.
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