ENMU SELECTED 10TH IN PRESEASON POLL

The Eastern New Mexico softball team was selected to finish 10^th in the 2021 Lone Star Conference Softball Preseason Poll, as announced by the league office Thursday.

The poll reflects the views of the league’s coaches, sports information directors and media representatives in preparation for the 2021 season. Eastern New Mexico earned 276 votes, including one first place vote.

The Hounds look to build upon the success of last year’s shortened season. Eastern New Mexico amassed an 11-8 overall record and 5-1 conference record before the remainder of the 2020 season was canceled.

Oklahoma Christian took the top spot in the poll with 619 points and 22 first place votes. UT Tyler earned second place with 548 points while Texas A&M-Commerce came in third with 538 points.

Angelo State’s Courtney Barnhill and Texas A&M International’s Briana Arredondo shared LSC Preseason Player of the Year honors, while Oklahoma Christian’s Kali Crandall captured LSC Preseason Pitcher of the Year acclaim.

An official schedule for the Hounds is still to be determined as the university continues to assess state guidelines and how that will affect scheduling for Eastern New Mexico spring sports. The 2021 Lone Star Conference schedule is set to begin on January 29 with teams playing a single round-robin schedule with two games against each league opponent.  The LSC Champion will be the team(s) with the best winning percentage in regular-season conference games.

The single-elimination LSC Championship featuring the top 10 teams will be played May 6-7-8, at the No. 1 seed.  The winner of the postseason championship will be recognized as LSC Tournament Champion and receive the league’s automatic qualification into the NCAA postseason.

Head coach Kira Zeiter enters her third year at the helm of the Hounds and will rely on key returners as well as several newcomers to help the team find success. From an offensive standpoint, Eastern New Mexico will look to last year’s young leaders in redshirt freshmen Azalea Martinez and Jokaira Paredes. Both finished the shortened season towards the top of the teams’ batting averages with .400 and .293 averages, respectively.

The Hounds return three starting pitchers including last season’s win leader Brook Leger who went 4-1 and also led the team in strikeouts with 36.

More information regarding an official schedule for the Greyhounds will be released at a later date as state and local guidelines continue to change.

2021 LSC Softball Preseason Poll