MOBILE, Ala. | Inside of a month until the 2023 campaign is set to get underway, junior pitcher
Olivia Lackie picked up her first preseason honor as she was named to the Preseason D100 Player List Tuesday morning by D1 Softball.
The honor marks the second year in a row in which Lackie has been named to a preseason Top 100 list as she was ranked No. 71 last spring on the Extra Elite 100 College Players List by Extra Innings Softball.
Lackie earned first-team all-conference and third-team all-region honors from the NFCA for the second-straight spring after leading the club with a 15-8 record, three saves and a 2.02 earned run average. The Walker, La., native also struck out 208 – 69 looking – in 155.2 innings of work, while holding opponents to a .168 batting average. She made 31 appearances in the circle, while going the distance in 17 of her 21 starts. She also recorded eight shutouts – seven solo – on the year.
The right-hander led the Sun Belt in saves, while among the league leaders in the SBC in earned run average and opposing batting average (second), strikeouts and strikeouts looking (third), while her three saves were the most among any pitcher. She also ranked in the top 50 nationally in several categories — hits allowed per seven innings (4.14 - 15th), strikeouts per seven innings (9.4 - 29th), shutouts (30th), saves (36th).
She earned her fifth career SBC Player of Week honor after tossing a pair of complete-game shutouts against Coastal Carolina in leading South Alabama to a series sweep.
Of her 17 complete games, 14 game against league foes with six of her shutouts also coming in conference play. Lackie's other numbers have been even better against the Sun Belt. She holds a sub-2.00 ERA at 1.61, while striking out 129, only allowing 50 hits, issuing 25 walks and holding league opponents to a .149 batting average. Five of her six double-digit strikeout performances came in SBC play.
Lackie and the rest of her Jaguar teammates will open the season when they compete in the 20th Annual NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic (Feb. 10-12) in Clearwater, Fla., where they will face Louisville, Northwestern, St. John's, Tennessee and Indiana.
2023 Softball Season tickets are on sale now by visiting usajaguars.com/tickets or by calling 251-461-1USA (1872). Prices start at just $50.00 for the upcoming season. Individual game tickets will go on sale for the 2023 schedule on Tuesday, January 17, 2023.
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