Preparing for the 2024 Season With a Look Back at 2023 (Ohio Valley, Pac-12, Patriot, SEC, Southern)

The start of the softball season at the Division I level is just over two months away.

Extra Inning Softball is providing a look forward to the 2024 season by first providing a final look back on the 2023 season.

This is the fourth of a five-part series featuring the Ohio Valley Conference, Pac-12 Conference, Patriot League, Southeastern Conference and Southern Conference.

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Ohio Valley Conference

2023 Standings

First Team All-Ohio Valley Conference: Delaney Kell (Southeast Missouri), Josie Newman (Southern Indiana), Olivia Price (Eastern Illinois), Kat Sackett (Southeast Missouri), Kendall Grover (Eastern Illinois), Aubrie Shore (Southeast Missouri), Paige Rocha (SIUE), Emily Williams (Morehead State), Kaci Fuller (UT Martin), Paige Halliwill (Southeast Missouri), Lexi King (SIUE), Allie Goodin (Southern Indiana)

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament
Game 1 – No. 6 Tennessee State 3, No. 7 Lindenwood 2 (10)
Game 2 – No. 5 SIUE 8, No. 8 Morehead State 0
Game 3 – No. 3 Southern Indiana 9, No. 6 Tennessee State 1
Game 4 – No. 4 UT Martin 8, No. 5 SIUE 5
Game 5 – No. 2 Eastern Illinois 2, No. 3 Southern Indiana 1
Game 6 – No. 4 UT Martin 7, No. 1 Southeast Missouri 0
Game 7: No. 5 SIUE 10, No. 3 Southern Indiana 3
Game 8 – No. 1 Southeast Missouri 4, No. 6 Tennessee State 2
Game 9 – No. 5 SIUE 4, No. 1 Southeast Missouri 0
Game 10 – No. 2 Eastern Illinois 1, No. 4 UT Martin 0
Game 11 – No. 5 SIUE 4, No. 4 UT Martin 2
Game 12 – No. 2 Eastern Illinois 2, No. 5 SIUE 0

OXFORD, Ala. – Eastern Illinois is going to an NCAA Softball Tournament for the first time in Division I program history after a 2-0 win over SIUE on Saturday at the Ohio Valley Conference Championship.

Tournament MVP Olivia Price pitched her third complete game of the tournament with a two-hit shutout performance in the final game which included six strike outs and no walks.

EIU scored in the bottom of the third and bottom of the fourth to provide Price with the offense she needed in the circle.

In the third Rachel Kaufman had a two-out single to start the Panthers rally. Lindy Milkowski followed with a walk before Amber Cieplinski drove in what proved to be the game-winning run with a single off the fence to left center.

In the fourth, EIU again manufactured a run with Marama Makea leading off with a single and moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Briana Gonzalez. Makea moved to third on an infield hit by Aryn Henke and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jaylen Prichard.

EIU improved to 34-19 overall and will find out its NCAA Tournament fate on Sunday evening with the NCAA Selection Show on ESPN2.

NCAA Postseason Team(s): Eastern Illinois

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PAC-12 Conference

2023 Standings

First Team All-Pac-12 Conference: Yannira Acuña (Arizona State), Tatum Anzaldo (California), Aliya Belarde (Utah), Ellessa Bonstrom (Utah), Maya Brady (UCLA), Allee Bunker (Oregon), NiJaree Canady (Stanford), Abby Dayton (Utah), Megan Faraimo (UCLA), Megan Grant (UCLA), Dakota Kennedy (Arizona), Baylee Klingler (Washington), Mariah Lopez (Utah), River Mahler (Stanford), Terra McGowan (Oregon), Ruby Meylan (Washington), Allie Skaggs (Arizona), Makena Smith (California), Alana Vawter (Stanford), Jordan Woolery (UCLA)

Pac-12 Conference Tournament
Game 1 – No. 8 Arizona 13, No. 9 Arizona State 4
Game 2 – No. 3 Utah 6, No. 6 Cal 2
Game 3 – No. 2 Washington 1, No. 7 Oregon State 0
Game 4 – No. 1 UCLA 4, No. 8 Arizona 3
Game 5 – No. 4 Stanford 4, No. 5 Oregon 3
Game 6 – No. 3 Utah 8, No. 2 Washington 4
Game 7 – No. 1 UCLA 1, No. 4 Stanford 0
Game 8 – No. 3 Utah 7, No. 1 UCLA 4

TUCSON, Ariz. — On Friday night, after Utah beat Washington in the semifinals, head coach Amy Hogue said the Utes would need contributions from their bench to win the inaugural Pac-12 Softball Tournament.

Boy, was she right.

Despite losing stars Julia Jimenez and Sophie Jacquez to injury in the third inning, No. 3 seed Utah slayed top-seeded UCLA 7-4 on Saturday to hoist the trophy at Hillenbrand Stadium.

Reserves like Shelbi Ortiz, Hailee White and Halle Morris stepped up to snap the Bruins’ 25-game win streak.

After Jacquez limped off with an apparent leg injury, Ortiz, her replacement, lined an RBI single to left to give Utah a 4-3 lead in the fourth.

UCLA evened the score a half inning later, but White, filling in for Jimenez after she fouled a pitch off her face, drove an RBI double into right center to put Utah back on top in the sixth.

Morris, a pinch hitter, promptly smacked a two-run homer to make it a three-run cushion that the Utes would not surrender. The Tucson native picked a prime time — and place — to launch her first long ball of the season.

Mariah Lopez, meanwhile, didn’t require any relief. The Utah left-hander was named the event’s Most Outstanding Player after pitching complete games against Washington and UCLA, the top two seeds in the tournament.

The junior hurled 131 pitches Saturday after throwing 112 on Friday. She got stronger as the game wore on, finishing with three scoreless frames.

NCAA Postseason Team(s): UCLA, Washington, Stanford, Utah, Oregon, California

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Patriot League

2023 Standings

First Team All-Patriot League: Nicole Amodio (Boston University), Angelina Bebek (Army West Point), Caitlin Coker (Boston University), Kayla Roncin (Boston University), Zoie Smith (Bucknell), Emily Gant (Boston University), Lauren Keleher (Boston University), Emily Cimino (Lehigh), Josie Charles (Lehigh), Allison Boaz (Boston University), Kasey Ricard (Boston University), Carley Barjaktarovich (Lehigh)

Patriot League Tournament
Game 1 – No. 1 Boston University 5, No. 4 Bucknell 1
Game 2 – No. 2 Lehigh 5, No. 3 Army West Point 1
Game 3 – No. 1 Boston University 8, No. 2 Lehigh 3
Game 4 – No. 3 Army West Point 3, No. 4 Bucknell 2
Game 5 – No. 3 Army West Point 6, No. 2 Lehigh 2
Game 6 –No. 1 Boston University 2, No. 3 Army West Point 0

BOSTON, Mass. – No.1 Boston University captured their sixth Patriot League Softball title with a 2-0 win over No. 3 Army West Point in Boston, Mass. on Saturday afternoon.

The title is BU’s fourth in six years and fifth overall under head coach Ashley Waters’ leadership. With the win, BU improved to 22-4 all-time in the Patriot League Tournament.

BU senior infielder Caitlin Coker was selected Patriot League Softball Championship MVP after batting .700 (7-for-10) with three runs, two RBIs and a stolen base. She was also named to the Patriot League All-Tournament squad with teammates Allison Boaz (Sr., P/UTL), Lauren Keleher (Jr., OF) and Audrey Sellers (Sr., C/UTL).

Army West Point’s Taylor Brown (Fr., INF), Alicyn Grete (Sr., P/OF) and Lauren Little (Jr. INF/OF), Bucknell’s Kaiya Burton (Sr., P) and MaKenzie Hilling (So., UTL), along with Lehigh’s Josie Charles (Sr., IF/OF) and Sydney Parlett (Fr., UTL) also earned spots on the all-tournament team.

During the first day of the Championship, Boston University junior Kayla Roncin set the Patriot League record in hits in a season with 86. Roncin also broke the League’s single-season total bases record with 134. She heads into the NCAA DI Softball Championship with 88 hits and 136 total bases.

Boston University received the League’s automatic berth to the NCAA DI Softball Championship and will learn their opponent during the NCAA D1 Softball Championship Selection Show on Sunday, May 14, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

NCAA Postseason Team(s): Boston University

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