UL LAFAYETTE PRESS RELEASE
LAFAYETTE – No. 7 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball placed a league-high nine individuals on the 2019 All-Sun Belt Conference Team and nearly posted a clean sweep of the major awards handed out by the conference office on Tuesday.
Alissa Dalton, the Sun Belt Player of the Year, and Summer Ellyson, the Sun Belt Pitcher of the
Year, received the highest recognition among their league peers. It’s the 12th time in program history that Louisiana has swept both awards, and the first occurrence since 2016.
Sarah Hudek captured the Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year award for her impact in her debut season with the Ragin’ Cajuns. Head coach Gerry Glasco was bestowed Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors after guiding Louisiana (47-4, 25-0 Sun Belt) to the regular season championship, with only the second undefeated conference mark in program and SBC history, and a Top 10 national ranking.
Dalton, Ellyson and Hudek were joined by Lexie Comeaux, Keeli Milligan and Julie Rawls on the
All-Sun Belt First Team. Dalton and Ellyson were first team selections for the second straight season.
Sisters Kara Gremillion and Kourtney Gremillion along with Raina O’Neal registered a spot on the All-Sun Belt Second Team. The eldest Gremillion, Kara the team’s senior third baseman, collected an AllSun Belt award for the third consecutive season.
Louisiana’s nine all-conference selections mark the second-most in program history, trailing only the 10 collected in 2002 and 2005, and increased the program’s all-time All-Sun Belt selections total to 137 (2000-present).
Dalton, the 2018 SBC Newcomer of the Year, picked up a major award for the second straight season. She played a key role in Louisiana’s ascension to the top of the league and into the nation’s Top 10, sporting a .494 average with 11 multiple-hit games since mid-March. In conference play, she held teamhighs in average (.417), hits (30) and runs scored (23).
Ellyson (34-4, 0.98 ERA, 303 K), the clear-cut No. 1 pitcher in the league, is the nation’s leader in wins and one of only five pitchers nationwide entering postseason play with a sub-1.00 earned run average. She recorded all three wins in a SBC series four times, including matchups with Texas State and Troy, and her season ERA is a full run lower than the next competitor.
Hudek is the league’s leader in total bases (100) on the strength of a team-high 22 extra base hits which includes a career-best 10 home runs. In conference play, she was tied for the league lead in home runs, led the way in slugging percentage and ranked Top 10 in nearly every other category. Comeaux was a driving force behind Louisiana’s offensive production in Sun Belt play, totaling a teamhigh tying 23 RBI. Milligan, the school and Sun Belt’s record holder with 57 stolen bases, closed the regular season strong, hitting .458, producing 27 hits and 10 RBI and swiping 22 stolen bases since March 31.
Rawls, converted from an outfielder to catcher, posted a team-high tying 10 home runs, team-leading 49 RBI and 16 multiple-hit games. Her presence behind the plate has seen Louisiana go from yielding 64 stolen base attempts in 2018 to just 28 this season.
Kara Gremillion generated a career-best 15 extra base hits, led Louisiana with 11 doubles and continued to be a lockdown presence at third base with only six errors over 139 chances during the regular season. Kourtney Gremillion had her biggest impact in conference games, posting over half of her season hits and RBI totals and the bulk of her home run production in league action.
In her debut season with the Ragin’ Cajuns, O’Neal has produced a career-high 51 hits – reaching the 50-plateau for the first time – and is on pace for a second double-digit home run season and the first career .300-plus average season of her career.
No. 7 Louisiana is set to participate in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos, Texas beginning on Thursday, May 9 at 12:30 p.m. All games in the tournament, which concludes Saturday, May 11 with the 1 p.m. championship game, are being broadcast on ESPN+ and can be heard over the air on SportsRadio ESPN 1420-AM.
All-Sun Belt First Team
Kenzie Longanecker, Appalachian State (Jr., P, Sanford, Fla.)
Summer Ellyson, Louisiana (Jr., P, Lafayette, La.)
Leanna Johnson, Troy (Fr., P, Brantley, Ala.)
Julie Rawls, Louisiana (Jr., C, Hallsville, Texas)
Katie Webb, Troy (Jr., 1B, Salem, Ala.)
Keeli Milligan, Louisiana (Sr., 2B, Vidor, Texas)
Hannah Farrell, Georgia Southern (Sr., 3B, Jesup, Ga.)
Alissa Dalton, Louisiana (Jr., SS, Cypress, Texas)
Whitney Walton, UTA (Jr., SS, Lake Jackson, Texas)
Sarah Hudek, Louisiana (Jr., OF, Sugar Land, Texas)
Sydney McKay, ULM (Sr., OF, Pearland, Texas)
Victoria Ortiz, South Alabama (Fr., OF, Mobile, Ala.)
Brittani Reid, South Alabama (Jr., OF, Kansas City, Mo.)
Laura Curry, UTA (Sr., OF, Temecula, Calif.)
Lexie Comeaux, Louisiana (Sr., DP, Tomball, Texas)
All-Sun Belt Second Team
Kaitlin Beasley-Polko, Coastal Carolina (So., P, Leonardtown, Md.)
Randi Phillips, UTA (So., P, Jefferson, Texas)
Meagan King, Texas State (So., P, Mont Belvieu, Texas)
Reagan Wright, UTA (Jr., C, Mansfield, Texas)
Kourtney Gremillion, Louisiana (So., 1B, Gonzales, La.)
Aileen Garcia, UTA (Jr., 1B, Houston, Texas)
Taylor Sweigart, Coastal Carolina (So., 2B, Mertztown, Pa.)
Kara Gremillion, Louisiana (Sr., 3B, Gonzales, La.)
Keri White, Appalachian State (Jr., 3B, Hampstead, N.C.)
Tara Oltmann, Texas State (So., SS, Giddings, Texas)
Courtney Dean, Coastal Carolina (So., OF, Indian Trail, N.C.)
Raina O’Neal, Louisiana (So., OF, Richmond, Texas)
Krista Rude, UTA (Sr., OF, Arlington, Texas)
Christiana McDowell, Texas State (Jr., OF, Round Rock, Texas)
Bailey Taylor, Troy (So., DP, Winnsboro, S.C.)
Sun Belt Player of the Year
Alissa Dalton, Louisiana (Jr., SS, Cypress, Texas)
Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year
Summer Ellyson, Louisiana (Jr., P, Lafayette, La.)
Sun Belt Freshman of the Year
Leanna Johnson, Troy (Fr., P, Brantley, Ala.)
Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year
Sarah Hudek, Louisiana (Jr., OF, Sugar Land, Texas)
Sun Belt Coach of the Year
Gerry Glasco, Louisiana
