DALLAS – The three-time Conference USA champion UNT softball team was voted first in the league’s preseason poll, garnering nine of 10 first place votes and 99 points overall, the league announced on Thursday. The first-place preseason selection marks the third occasion in program history to enter the season as favorites and third in the past four seasons.
North Texas senior Ashley Peters was named the C-USA Preseason Pitcher of the Year after a 20-win season last year. Peters becomes the second pitcher in program history to be awarded the superlative recognition after Hope Trautwein captured the honor in 2020 and 2021.
The Mean Green also placed five players on the C-USA preseason team, the most in program history passing marks of three selections in 2019 and 2020. Peters joins catcher Kalei Christensen, infielder Kailey Gamble, outfielder Lexi Cobb and pitcher Skylar Savage as members of the all-conference squad. UNT had the most selections in the league with no other team having more than two honorees, which are selected by the conference’s head coaches.
“It’s good to see some of our players get recognized because they work hard and are very deserving,” head coach Rodney DeLong said. “We have a tough schedule and a competitive league to compete against so preseason polls don’t mean a lot to us. We have to work hard and stay tough through the course of the season to be successful. We are excited about this team and the opportunities that are in front of us.”
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