The Division 1 softball season is officially two weeks in, with Week 3 soon to kick off.
In spite of some rainouts, late starts, and other calamities, many teams are already in or nearing double-digits in games played during the 2023 season. There’s never a bad time for a statistical deep-dive, so we decided to take a look at the speedsters who have made a name for themselves through the season’s first two weeks.
Through games on February 21st – that was Tuesday – here are the Top 10 Stolen Base Leaders in D1 Softball through the season’s first two weeks.
1. Chelie Senini, Nevada – 17
The Wolfpack’s fourth-year junior already holds the Nevada program record for career stolen bases and also set the Mountain West single-season record in that category with 48 swiped bags in 2022.
2. Kyleigh Sand, Rutgers – 14
In her first year at Rutgers in 2022, Sand led her team with 23 stolen bases, among six total statistical categories. She has already reached the top 10 in program history in stolen bases.
3. Haley Denning, Utah – 11
A stalwart in the Utah lineup, Denning has put her speed to work throughout her career. She tallied 67 stolen bases through her first three seasons and is on track to smash her single-season career high of 31.
T4. Lourdes Bacon, Louisiana-Monroe – 10
An all-conference second-teamer from a season ago, Bacon stole 18 bases last season and has already reached double-digits in 2023. She had just one stolen base at UTSA before transferring to ULM.
T4. Abby Ford, Missouri State – 10
In her first season as a Bear, the freshman Ford already owns her first career 4-steals game, a mark she reached in a matchup over Mississippi Valley State last weekend. She has swiped a base in five of her team’s nine games thus-far.
T4. Jenna Laird, Missouri – 10
Mizzou’s reigning Gold Glover in the infield, Laird has also made a difference on the basepaths this season, reaching double-digits in steals for the third consecutive season. Last year, she led her club on the basepaths.
T7. Ab Garcia, Houston Christian – 9
Entering the 2023 season, Garcia had reached base just eight times in her career and and had four stolen bases to her credit. She has already set career highs across the board this season, including on the basepaths.
T7. Alex Honnold, Missouri – 9
Speed is clearly an emphasis at Mizzou, and Honnold, a true junior, has already set a career high in stolen bases. She also already doubled her previous career total on the basepaths after entering the year with nine in her career.
T7. Kaytlyn Moore, Grambling – 9
One of the Tigers’ best speed threats, Moore is nearing the 40-career steals mark, a plateau she will reach with two more stolen bases this season.
T7. Skylar Wallace, Florida – 9
Florida’s do-it-all star, Wallace stole 52 bases last season and is already almost to double figures this year. She has twelve hits and twelve walks on the year and has stolen at least one base in five consecutive games.
