Reigning champion UT Tyler picked to repeat softball title; Plocheck, LeBlanc selected preseason players of the year - Lone Star Conference Skip To Main Content

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Reigning champion UT Tyler picked to repeat softball title; Plocheck, LeBlanc selected preseason players of the year

 
Reigning Lone Star Conference tournament and season champion UT Tyler is favored to win the 2024 softball title and the Patriots' Courtney Plocheck and Texas Woman's Alyssa LeBlanc claimed preseason player of the year honors as announced on Wednesday (Jan. 24).
 
The preseason poll and preseason players of the year are voted on by LSC softball head coaches, sports information directors and media members.
 
UT Tyler totaled 591 points and 25 of the possible 41 first-place votes in the poll. The Patriots enter the 2024 season after compiling 62-6 overall and 39-2 LSC records and closing the 2023 season as NCAA Division II Softball Championship regional and super regional champion and national semifinalist. UT Tyler led the LSC with a 1.57 ERA and 393 RBI while batting .311 as a team.
 
West Texas A&M was picked as conference runner-up with 576 points and 11 first-place votes. The Lady Buffs completed a 50-8 overall and 37-5 conference season a year ago, claiming a Division II regional title and runner-up showings in both the LSC Tournament and Division II Super Regional. WT listed among the LSC top three in batting average (.319), pitching (2.03 ERA) and fielding average (.975) last season.
 
Oklahoma Christian was third in the preseason polling, tallying 519 points, including three first-place votes while Lubbock Christian came in fourth at 500 points. The two teams were both 29-13 in LSC games last year, tying for third in the standings.
 
Cameron (412) was predicted to finish fifth, followed by Texas A&M-Kingsville (386, 2 first-place votes), Angelo State (383), St. Mary's (353) and St. Edward's (288) picked sixth, seventh and eighth.
 
Texas Woman's (254), Eastern New Mexico (216), Texas A&M International (175), Midwestern State (127), Western New Mexico (72) and UT Permian Basin (68) rounded out the preseason softball poll.
 
Preseason Player Accolades

A graduate marketing student, Plocheck was selected LSC Preseason Player of the Year. The UT Tyler infielder from Deer Park, Texas led the Lone Star Conference with a .400 batting average and league-best 86 hits. A year ago, she earned All-LSC First Team and all-tournament honors adding NFCA All-America Second Team and All-South Central Region awards.
 
Texas Woman's LeBlanc was chosen LSC Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Last season, the senior right-hander and utility player topped conference pitching stats with 294 strikeouts, including a conference single-game record 23 strikeouts vs. Angelo State, and led hitters with an .851 slugging percentage. A sports management major from Katy, Texas, LeBlanc earned LSC First Team, D2CCA All-South Region First Team, and NFCA All-America and South Central Region First-Team awards.

Plocheck and LeBlance lead 30 players – 15 position players and 15 pitchers – cited as players to watch in the 2024 LSC softball season. The student-athletes were nominated by their member institution.
 
LSC Softball in '24

The 15 LSC teams get their respective seasons underway on February 2 competing across the south, southwest and west coast against top Division II opponents in tournament and single games. The Lone Star Conference slate begins the February 16 weekend as all teams play a single round-robin schedule with three-game series this year.

 LSC Softball Schedule
 LSC Digital Network
 
The LSC Softball Tournament is scheduled May 2-3-4 hosted by the No. 1 seeded team. Play is a single-elimination format with the winner earning the LSC automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship. National tournament play begins with the South Central Regional May 9-11 with the Super Regionals May 14-15. The national finals are slated May 19-25 in Longwood, Fla., as part of the Spring 2024 Division II Championship Festival.

The 2024 season marks the 28th year of Lone Star Conference softball play. The conference sponsored its first softball season in 1997.

2024 LSC SOFTBALL PRESEASON POLL & AWARDS

Preseason Poll     as voted by head coaches, sports information directors and media
Rank Team (1st place votes) Points
1 UT Tyler (25) 591
2 West Texas A&M (11) 576
3 Oklahoma Christian (3) 519
4 Lubbock Christian 500
5 Cameron 412
6 Texas A&M-Kingsville (2) 386
7 Angelo State 383
8 St. Mary's 353
9 St. Edward's 288
10 Texas Woman's 254
11 Eastern New Mexico 216
12 Texas A&M International 175
13 Midwestern State 127
14 Western New Mexico 72
15 UT Permian Basin 68

Preseason Player of the Year: Courtney Plocheck, UT Tyler, Infield, Graduate Student
Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Alyssa LeBlanc, Texas Woman's, Pitcher/Utility, Senior

LSC Players to Watch in 2024     ++ Preseason Player of the Year
Player Team Cl Pos Major Hometown
Adlai Alvidrez Western New Mexico So. OF Psychology El Paso, Texas
Kaiden Boren Cameron Jr. C Biology Harrah, Okla
Keilei Garcia Angelo State Sr. C Coaching,Sport,Rec.Fit.Admin. Hemet, Calif.
Kayla Gonzales Texas A&M-Kingsville Sr. 1B/3B General Studies San Antonio, Texas
Lauren Gonzales St. Mary's Sr. OF Marketing San Antonio, Texas
Kennedy Griego Texas A&M International So. 3B Criminal Justice Laverne, Calif.
Vivica Hernandez Texas Woman's Jr. OF Criminal Justice Fort Worth, Texas
Skylar Herrera Lubbock Christian Gr. INF Criminal Justice Odessa, Texas
Myranda Jimenez Midwestern State Jr. INF Criminal Justice Cathedral City, Calif.
Mikenzey Patterson Eastern New Mexico Sr. UTL Biology Roswell, N.M.
Courtney Plocheck ++ UT Tyler Gr. INF Marketing Deer Park, Texas
Brittni Rufus West Texas A&M Sr. OF MPA Mansfield, Texas
Keri Sanford UT Permian Basin So. INF Child and Family Studies Georgetown, Texas
Arianna Vidales St. Edward's So. OF Business Georgetown, Texas
Kristen Whitehouse Oklahoma Christian Sr. SS Interdisciplinary Studies Moore, Okla.

LSC Pitchers to Watch in 2024     ++ Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Pitcher Team Cl Pos Major Hometown
Carla Arellano Texas A&M International Sr. RHP Kinesiology Harlingen, Texas
Genesis Armendariz UT Tyler Gr. RHP Kinesiology Hobbs, N.M.
Madeline Bloom St. Mary's Jr P English Language Arts,Reading Poway, Calif.
Emilee Boyer West Texas A&M So. UTL Business Harrisburg, S.D.
Jocelyn Bright Cameron Sr. P Sports & Exercise Science Burkburnett, Texas
Kamerynn Cordova Western New Mexico So. P Elementary Education Fowler, Calif.
Cadie Belle Currie St. Edward's Sr. P Forensic Science Grapeland, Texas
Jill Dickson Oklahoma Christian So. P Business Edmond, Okla.
Cheyenne Floyd Angelo State Jr. P Interdisciplinary Studies Liberty Hill, Texas
Alyssa LeBlanc ++ Texas Woman's Sr. P/UTL Sport Management Katy, Texas
Addison Lindemann Midwestern State Fr. P Nursing Holliday, Texas
Morgan McGaugh UT Permian Basin Fr. P Psychology Fort Worth, Texas
Beth Montes Texas A&M-Kingsville Sr. RHP Biology San Antonio, Texas
Marissa Rodriguez Eastern New Mexico So. RHP Early Childhood Education Buena Park, Calif.
Maxine Valdez Lubbock Christian Gr. P Exercise Science Buda, Texas