RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Oklahoma Baptist softball team was picked to finish sixth in the Great American Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, the league announced Wednesday.
The Bison received 66 votes to garner their second consecutive sixth-place selection. Southern Arkansas was tabbed as the conference favorite with 115 votes and seven first-place votes, while Arkansas Tech was second. Southeastern (3), Harding (4), and Southern Nazarene (5) took the remaining spots ahead of the Bison.
OBU is coming off their most successful seasons since joining the GAC, as head coach Sam Maples and staff led the Bison to the first conference tournament appearance in program history. Oklahoma Baptist finished the regular season with a 21-20 overall tally and a 16-17 conference record.
Oklahoma Baptist will look to replace four of its top batters, including 2021 All-GAC Honorable Mention selections in Shelby Savage and Cheyenne Demaree. Top returners Asia Henry and Emily Richardson ranked second and fourth in RBI's on the team last season. Henry tied for a team-best five home runs while Richardson recorded the highest batting average of all returners in 2022.
2021 All-GAC Second Team pitcher, Kayleigh Jones, returns to the circle after a breakout season for the Bison. She finished ranked fourth in the league with 13 wins and 10th in earned run average (2.58). Jones led OBU and was fourth in the GAC with 134 strikeouts, one place ahead of the Bison's next top-returning pitcher, Aspen Younce.
Younce concluded her sophomore campaign with eight wins and 113 strikeouts in 27 appearances.
The Bison open their 2022 campaign on Feb. 4 at the McGhee Hawkins Invitational, where they'll begin a two-day slate of four teams, starting with Emporia State at 11 a.m.
2022 GAC Preseason Softball Poll
1. Southern Arkansas
2. Arkansas Tech
3. Southeastern Oklahoma State
4. Harding
5. Southern Nazarene
6. Oklahoma Baptist
7. Ouachita Baptist
8. Arkansas-Monticello
9. East Central
10. Henderson State
11. Southwestern Oklahoma State
12. Northwestern Oklahoma State
