MACON, Ga. – Lipscomb enters the 2016 Atlantic Sun Softball season as the preseason favorite, garnering six first-place votes in the coaches poll. North Florida’s Stacy McClelland, Stetson’s Brittany Hawn and USC Upstate’s Lexi Shubert all collected individual preseason honors, announced Wednesday by the league office.
The Bisons are coming off of their second consecutive second-place league finish with a 14-6 record in 2015 and returns three All-Conference performers from a year ago.
Two-time defending champions USC Upstate sits second in the coaches poll, with one first-place vote. The Spartans posted one win in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, and finished the year with a 44-10 overall record, 18-2 in conference play.
The Owls were picked to finish in third place with 31 votes following their third 30-win season in the past four years. Stetson followed in fourth with 25 votes, while North Florida was right behind in fifth with 19. FGCU and Jacksonville rounded out the selections, tied for sixth-place with 16 votes apiece.
Stacy McClelland was voted the Preseason Player of the Year. The senior infielder for North Florida is the A-Sun’s leading returner in batting average (.399) and home runs (13) from last year, while finishing second in RBIs (47) a year ago. Lexi Shubert was tabbed the Preseason Pitcher of the Year, picked to repeat the honor she won at the end of the 2015 season. Shubert led the conference in strikeouts with 225, wins with 34 and boasted an ERA of 1.67 and was named A-Sun Tournament MVP after leading the Spartans to the conference title.
Stetson’s Brittany Hawn collected Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honors, becoming the second Hatter in the past two seasons to earn the award. Hawn has been a mainstay in the infield for the Hatters starting all 156 games she has played in. Hawn posted a 36-game errorless streak last season while posting a fielding percentage of .965.
Atlantic Sun Preseason All-Conference Team (* – Denotes unanimous selection)
– Lexi Shubert, USC Upstate, Pitcher*: The defending Pitcher of the Year, Shubert looks to maintain her status as the best pitcher in the Atlantic Sun. Leading the conference in nearly every pitching category, Shubert amassed a record of 34-7 in 243 innings pitched. The junior threw 225 strikeouts to just 47 walks, allowing her opponents to bat just .200 with a 1.67 ERA. Shubert helped lead Upstate to an A-Sun Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Regionals.
– Tanner Sanders, Lipscomb, Pitcher: Sanders is back for the Lady Bisons after landing a spot on the Second Team All-Conference in 2015. The senior nabbed 13 wins a year ago, sixth most in the A-Sun, while throwing 131 strikeouts and allowing batters to hit an average of .229. Sanders helped lead Lipscomb to its second-straight No. 2 seed in the A-Sun Championship.
– Courtney Sutter, Kennesaw State, Catcher: A mainstay behind the plate for the Owls, Sutter looks to improve upon a breakout season in 2016. The junior had 10 doubles on the year last season (seven in league play) and increased her batting average against conference opponents to .435. The catcher also caught eight runners stealing, good for seventh-best in the A-Sun.
– Stacy McClelland, North Florida, Infield*: McClelland made an immediate impact for the Ospreys in 2015, leading North Florida in batting average (.399), home runs (13) and RBIs (47). She had 16 multi-hit games on the season and is one of the conference’s top-returning offensive threats. McClelland helped guide UNF to the top-half of the conference, finishing with a record of 12-9 in league play.
– Megan Veringa, Kennesaw State, Infield*: Named Second Team All-Conference in 2015, Veringa enters her senior year with Kennesaw State as a unanimous pick on the Preseason All-Conference squad. The Georgia native knocked in 46 runs last year, good for sixth in the league, while appearing in 50 games for KSU.
– Kayla Drury, Stetson, Infield: Returns for the Hatters after starting all 50 games last season at first base. Drury hit .355 for the season and drove in 24 runs. She stepped up her game during the postseason hitting .471 in the A-Sun Tournament for Stetson.
– Jessie Tenbroeck, Stetson, Infield: The speedster from Live Oak, Fla. will move to the infield this season after playing in the outfield in 2015. She stole 31 bases, which ranked third in the A-Sun last season. Collected seven hits in the A-Sun Tournament on her way to being named to the All-Tournament team for the second consecutive season.
– Brittany Elmore, Lipscomb, Outfield*: Elmore was picked as a member of the Second Team All-Conference in 2015, and follows that up as a unanimous selection on the 2016 Preseason All-Conference squad. The senior put together an impressive performance in her junior season in Nashville, with 66 hits, 51 runs and a batting average of .365. Known for her speed, Elmore led the Atlantic Sun in stolen bases with 43 on the season in 2015.
– Shelby Duncan, North Florida, Outfield*: As a unanimous pick to the A-Sun Preseason All-Conference team, Duncan enters her final season at North Florida having led the league in hits a year ago with 72. Duncan appeared in 59 games for UNF, with 218 plate appearances. A native of Bartow, Fla., Duncan neared the top-10 of the A-Sun in most offensive categories including total bases (96), doubles (15), runs (43), batting average (.379) and on base percentage (.444).
– Jazz Vasquez, Stetson, Outfield: A member of the 2015 All-Freshman team, Vasquez was a steady force in the outfield for the Hatters in her first year in DeLand. Committing just two errors on the year, the sophomore was a reliable player both on and off the base, ranking eighth in the conference in batting average (.376). Vasquez slapped three triples on the year, while stealing 12 bases for Stetson.
– Karla Beasley, USC Upstate, UT/DP: Beasley is the top returning RBI leader in the A-Sun after knocking in 50 runs in 2015. The 2015 A-Sun Freshman of the Year made an immediate impact on campus in her first year for the Spartans. Known as a power-hitter, Beasley was near the top in the conference in slugging percentage (.736), home runs (12), doubles (11) and batting average (.396). Beasley’s offensive firepower was a major contribution to the Spartans’ as they ammassed an A-Sun record of 18-2.
| 2016 Atlantic Sun Softball Preseason Coaches Poll | ||||
| Pl. | Team | 1st Place Votes | Points | 2014 Record |
| 1. | Lipscomb | 6 | 48 | 31-25 (14-6) |
| 2. | USC Upstate | 1 | 41 | 44-10 (18-2) |
| 3. | Kennesaw State | 31 | 32-19 (12-8) | |
| 4. | Stetson | 25 | 30-20 (10-11) | |
| 5. | North Florida | 19 | 31-28 (12-9) | |
| 6. | FGCU | 16 | 23-30 (5-15) | |
| Jacksonville | 16 | 28-28 (10-11) | ||
For the fifth-straight year, the Atlantic Sun took to social media to poll the fans for the conference preseason superlative awards. Over 3,600 votes were cast for student-athletes across the league. Lipscomb’s Brittany Elmore was named the Fan-Voted Preseason Player of the Year with 371 votes, while Jacksonville’s Emily Sanchez got the nod for Fan-Voted Defensive Player of the Year with 259. Stetson’s Chelsea Hostetler earned Fan-Voted Pitcher of the Year honors after garnering a contest-high 422 votes.
