NM State softball picked 7th, UTEP 9th in preseason CUSA coaches poll
DALLAS – Liberty has been voted by the league’s head coaches as the preseason favorite to win the 2024 Conference USA regular season softball championship, the league announced Thursday, along with the preseason all-conference team. The Lady Flames account for the Preseason Player of the Year in junior outfielder Rachel Roupe and junior pitcher Paige Bachman.
Roupe is coming off a breakout 2023 season that netted First-Team All-ASUN and First Team VaSID All-State honors, in addition to being a three-time ASUN Player of the Week. She hit .317 on the year and posted a .415 on-base percentage and .634 slugging percentage. Roupe tied for the ASUN lead with 15 home runs while ranking second in the league with 50 RBI.
In her first full season as a starting pitcher, Bachman went 10-9 with a 3.02 ERA and limited opponents to a .222 batting average. She tossed four shutouts, nine complete games and struck out 79 batters in 122 innings. During conference play, Bachman went 6-2 and ranked third in the ASUN in opponent batting average (.175) and fourth in ERA (1.65).
Led by Roupe and Bachman, the Lady Flames earned a league-high four selections to the preseason all-conference team. Liberty earned six first-place votes and 75 total points in the preseason poll. The Lady Flames were also represented by junior infielder Rachel Craine and junior pitcher Elena Escobar.
WKU garnered a first-place vote and was voted to the runner-up spot with 66 points, while MTSU grabbed the remaining two first-place votes and the No. 3 spot. The Blue Raiders hoisted the trophy at the 2023 CUSA Softball Championship and advanced to the final of the Tuscaloosa Regional last spring.
LA Tech (53) was voted to the No. 4 spot, and FIU (48) edged out Jax State (38) for the No. 5 spot. NM State (30), Sam Houston (26) and UTEP (16) round out the preseason poll.
FIU, LA Tech, MTSU and WKU each placed three on the team, including all six returning All-CUSA honorees in Isabella Perez (FIU), Ella Whitney (FIU), Kylie Neel (LA Tech), Allie Floyd (LA Tech), Shelby Echols (MTSU) and TJ Webster (WKU). Jax State and NM State each landed two student-athletes on the list, and Sam Houston garnered one spot.
The 2024 Conference USA season begins Friday, February 9, and the 2024 CUSA Softball Championship will be May 8-11 in Las Cruces, N.M.
2024 CUSA Softball Preseason Poll
Rank | School (first-place votes) | Total |
1. | Liberty (6) | 75 |
2. | WKU (1) | 66 |
3. | MTSU (2) | 60 |
4. | LA Tech | 53 |
5. | FIU | 41 |
6. | Jax State | 38 |
7. | NM State | 30 |
8. | Sam Houston | 26 |
9. | UTEP | 16 |
CUSA Softball Preseason Player of the Year
Rachel Roupe, Liberty
CUSA Softball Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Paige Bachman, Liberty
CUSA Softball Preseason All-Conference Team
Name | Yr. | Pos. | Hometown |
Isabella Perez, FIU* | So. | C | Key West, Fla. |
Kendal Lunar, NM State | So. | C | Alamogordo, N.M. |
Hannah Scheaffer, Sam Houston | Sr. | C | Cypress, Texas |
Casey Goguts, FIU | Gr. | DP/UT | Jupiter, Fla. |
Anyce Harvey, MTSU | Jr. | DP/UT | Trussville, Ala. |
Ella Whitney, FIU* | So. | IF | Martinsville, Ind. |
Lindsey Richardson, Jax State | Sr. | IF | Moody, Ala. |
Claire Raley, LA Tech | Jr. | IF | Clovis, Calif. |
Rachel Craine, Liberty | Jr. | IF | Middletown, Del. |
Shelby Echols, MTSU* | Sr. | IF | Pearland, Texas |
Taylor Sanders, WKU | Gr. | IF | Shelbyville, Tenn. |
TJ Webster, WKU* | Gr. | IF | Huntsville, Ala. |
Kylie Neel, LA Tech* | Gr. | OF | Richmond, Texas |
Rachel Roupe, Liberty | Jr. | OF | Sharpsburg, Md. |
Shelby Sargent, MTSU | Sr. | OF | Murfreesboro, Tenn. |
Riley Carley, NM State | R-Sr. | OF | Tucson, Ariz. |
Jaliyah Holmes, Jax State | So. | P | Sharpsburg, Ga. |
Allie Floyd, LA Tech* | So. | P | East Bernard, Texas |
Paige Bachman, Liberty | Jr. | P | Fredericksburg, Va. |
Elena Escobar, Liberty | Jr. | P | Spring Hill, Tenn. |
Katie Gardner, WKU | Gr. | P | Bowling Green, Ky. |
* – 2023 All-CUSA selection
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
