From January 3 through the beginning of the regular season, we’re going to take a look at every Division 1 conference and Forecast what to expect in each league this season. Today, we take a look at the Big South Conference.
I. Conference Breakdown
Ten softball programs compete for the top spot in the Big South conference standings. Those programs include Campbell, Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb, Hampton, Longwood, North Carolina A&T, Presbyterian, Radford, USC Upstate, and Winthrop.
During the 2021 season, Campbell finished atop the Big South’s regular-season standings. The Camels earned the #1 seed in the conference tournament, which also included USC Upstate, Longwood, and Radford. The Camels and USC-Upstate advanced to a winner-take-all championship final, which saw Campbell emerge with a 5-2 victory and earn the automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.
II. 2022 Award Predictions
Player of the Year: Peyton Darnell, USC-Upstate
Pitcher of the Year: Georgeanna Barefoot, Campbell
Coach of the Year: Sharonda McDonald-Kelley, Campbell
Conference Champions: Campbell Fighting Camels
III. Who to Watch
Peyton Darnell, USC-Upstate — Darnell was off to a hot start as a true freshman in 2020, ending the abbreviated year with a .365 batting average and a .508 slugging percentage. In her first full college season in 2021, Darnell hit just .298, but mashed ten home runs and recorded 38 RBIs. She earned mentions on the All-Conference First Team, All-Freshman team, and All-Tournament team after the year and will be a solid part of the Spartan batting order.
Campbell Fighting Camels — The Camels looked like a sharp team last year and even recorded a victory in the NCAA tournament before being eliminated. Top-of-the-lineup spark plug Destini England graduated after the year, creating the biggest hole that the Camels have to fill this season, but a number of the Camels’ standouts do return this year. Bri Bryant was an all-conference first teamer in the outfield last season, while Kayla Fredendall earned second-team all-league honors at designated player. Georgeanna Barefoot led the team’s pitching staff last season – en route to all-league honors herself – and will be relied upon again by the program this year.
Sydney Backstrom, Longwood — Backstrom is the reigning conference Pitcher of the Year and earned all-region honors last season for the first time in her career. She ended the year with a 2.34 ERA and nineteen wins, limiting opponents to a .185 opponent’s batting average and collecting 189 strikeouts. She’s the cream of the crop in the Big South, and now in her swan song season, look for her to continue to lead the Lancers in the circle.
Winthrop Eagles — Four Eagles earned all-Big South honors last season, but only one of that quartet returns for the 2022 campaign in junior Macy McCall. More importantly, though, the Eagles placed three players on the All-Freshman team and return a pair of those young standouts. The Eagles narrowly missed the Big South tournament last season, finishing on the outside looking in due to a tiebreaker. They should still firmly be in the conference race.
IV. Coaching Moves
Three Big South schools saw changes at the head coaching position this summer. Newly-hired program leaders include Alisa Tasler at Radford, Bailey Wigness at Gardner-Webb, and Monique White at Hampton… notable assistant coaching hires included former Auburn standout Alyssa Rivera as an assistant coach at Hampton; Jo Koons as an assistant coach at Longwood; Ansley Gilstrap at Winthrop; and Tonja Medders at USC-Upstate.
V. Storylines to Watch
> Hampton returns to play for the first time since the abruptly-ended 2020 season. The Pirates did not participate in the 2021 season.
> Radford appears to still lack a full-time coaching staff under first-year head coach Alisa Tasler.
> Longwood athletic director Michelle Meadows enters her final season as a member of the NCAA Softball Committee. She is part of the group that selects the NCAA tournament field and runs the Women’s College World Series.
VI. Burning Questions
* Will Campbell’s departed seniors have an impact on the Camels’ quest to repeat as conference champions?
VII. Projected Standings
- Campbell Fighting Camels
- USC-Upstate Spartans
- Longwood Lancers
- Winthrop Eagles
- Presbyterian Blue Hose
- Radford Highlanders
- Hampton Pirates
- Charleston Southern Buccaneers
- Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs
- North Carolina A&T Aggies
