FRISCO – The Southland Conference has announced the 2019 preseason all-conference softball squads, and ACU redshirt junior
Donelle Johnson was named to the second team as an outfielder. Among the nine schools represented, Nicholls led the way with eight picks, and of the 24 preseason honorees, 20 made their way as automatic selections following the conclusion of the 2018 season, including Johnson.
The McKinney, Texas native received her first all-conference honor a season ago after leading ACU with a .310 batting average on 44 hits, 11 doubles and six home runs. Johnson drove in 21 and slugged .514 with an on-base percentage of .419, a team-best.
The Wildcats will have plenty of new faces on their 2019 squad after saying goodbye to seven seniors at the end of last season. Six starters will be replaced in the process, with Johnson leading the way offensively. ACU finished 23-26 including a 15-12 mark in Southland play, earning its first-ever trip to the conference tournament after four years of post-season ineligibility.
Junior
Caroline Adair joins Johnson in the outfield after starting all 48 games a season ago, and batting .272, good for third-best on the team. On the infield, sophomore
Briana Tijerina returns after starting 31 times and recording an .894 fielding percentage. In the circle, sophomore Callie Burris is back after going 5-8 with a 5.74 earned run average as a rookie.
The preseason all-conference teams are voted upon by the league's head coaches. Returning players from the 2018 All-Conference First and Second teams are automatically named to the 2019 Preseason All-Conference teams at their respective positions. Second team players are elevated to first team if the first team slot is vacated by a non-returning player at the same position.
ACU opens its
2019 campaign in San Marcos, Texas on Friday-Sunday, Feb. 8-10 at the Bobcat Classic hosted by Texas State University. The Wildcats begin the tournament with a matchup with Colorado State Friday at 11 a.m.
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