LAFAYETTE, La. ( KLFY ) – The No. 18-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball team placed a league-high seven individuals on the 2024 All-Sun Belt Softball Team highlighted by Mihyia Davis who was named the Sun Belt Player of the Year, the conference office announced on Tuesday (May 7, 2024).
Joining Davis in claiming one of the major player awards for Louisiana was Brooke Ellestad who was selected as the Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year. Head coach Gerry Glasco was named the Sun Belt Coach of the Year.
For the fifth consecutive time that All-SBC awards were handed out – and 19th time overall since the league’s creation in 2000 – Louisiana claimed the Player of the Year award. A Ragin’ Cajun claimed Newcomer of the Year for the fifth time in the past six rounds of awards ( since 2018 ), while Glasco received his third Coach of the Year honor (2019, 2021, 2024).
Higgs’ Homer Helps Cajuns Edge Troy In SBC Slugfest, 14-13 Davis (outfield) and Ellestad (third base) were joined on the All-Sun Belt First Team by junior pitcher Sam Landry.
Pitcher Chloe Riassetto, first baseman Sam Roe, second baseman Alexa Langeliers and designated player Laney Credeur each received a spot on the All-Sun Belt Second Team.
The individual awards and all-conference selections were voted on by the league’s 12 head coaches.
Louisiana placed at least seven players on the All-Sun Belt Team for the fifth straight time under Glasco’s guidance, increasing the total number of selections under his watch to 44. The program’s all-time All-Sun Belt selections total grew to 168 (2000-present).
The selections marked repeat All-Sun Belt honors for Landry and Langeliers, who both earned their third career honor (2022-24), plus Davis who earned repeat first team honors (2023, 2024). The remainder of the group received their first accolade as a Ragin’ Cajun.
Davis batted .419 in conference play and .421 in non-conference play against the nation’s No. 1-rated non-conference strength of schedule. She produced 26 multiple-hit games (11 in SBC play) and was the only player in the Sun Belt to reach 80 base hits in the regular season, recording at least one base hit in 51 of 56 games.
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Ellestad’s banner debut season with Louisiana and in the SBC was highlighted by leading the league with a .474 average and 34 RBI during conference play. Her strong showing in SBC play was boosted by 12 multiple-hit games and nine multiple-RBI games.
Glasco directed Louisiana to remarkable turnaround after a 9-12 start, an upset win at then-No. 1 Oklahoma on March 3 kicking off a season-ending stretch where the Cajuns won 31 of the final 35 games. The end result was a fifth consecutive SBC regular season title and 25th consecutive 40-win season.
A career-high 22 victories and Sun Belt-best 13 wins in conference play earned Landry her first appearance on the All-SBC First Team. Overall, she led the Cajuns pitching staff in strikeouts (149) and held the opposition to a .209 average over the season’s 40 appearances (25 starts).
Riassetto recorded Top 25 wins over Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas State and LSU, and posted a perfect 7-0 mark in SBC play with six saves. Roe generated career-highs in average (.325), base hits (52), and RBI (35), Langeliers returned her batting average above .300 and recorded 40-plus hits and 30-plus RBI for the third consecutive season, while Credeur led UL with 10 extra base hits in Sun Belt play (six doubles, triple, three home runs) and held the third-highest average (.356).
Louisiana Wraps Up Regular Season Extending SBC Series Win Streak No. 18 Louisiana (40-16, 22-2 SBC) travels to San Marcos, Texas this week for the 2024 Sun Belt Championship tournament and is scheduled to begin play in the event on Thursday, May 9 at 10:00 a.m.
There are 10 Sun Belt Conference teams participating in the single-elimination tournament from Wednesday-Saturday, May 8-11 at Bobcat Softball Stadium, vying for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The event begins on Wednesday, May 8 with a pair of first round games, ramps up with the quarterfinal round on Thursday, May 9 and concludes with the championship game on Saturday, May 11 at 1:00 p.m.
The Ragin’ Cajuns quarterfinal round opponent on Thursday (May 9) will be the winner of the James Madison-Southern Miss first round contest.
2024 Sun Belt Conference Softball Postseason Awards
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 (5 th Yr., P – Moncks Corner, S.C.)
Chloe Riassetto, Louisiana (So., P – Friendswood, Texas)
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
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