NEW ORLEANS | For the fourth time in their careers at South Alabama, South Alabama's Olivia Lackie and Mackenzie Brasher were named to the Sun Belt Conference all-league team on Tuesday as selected by the league coaches, earning first-team honors.

The first-team selection is the fourth-straight for Lackie, marking her as the first player in Jaguar history to earn four selections to the Sun Belt's first team. The all-conference selection is the fourth of Brasher's career and her second to the first team. Along with Lackie, Brasher is now one of only four players in program history to earn four all-conference accolades during her Jaguar career (Hannah Campbell and Brittany Fowler).

Both Lackie and Brasher were also named to the league's preseason all-conference team prior to the start of the 2024 season for the third-straight year. 

After becoming the program's first pitcher to be named the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year last spring, Lackie has been just as stellar in the circle for the Jags during the 2024 campaign, three times earning weekly league pitcher of the week honors. She has been ranked among the top pitchers in the nation all season long, recently being ranked 14th on Softball America's Top 20 list entering the final month of the season.

Lackie holds a 22-7 record with two saves, while posting a 1.38 earned run average. She has struck out a league-best 204 batters and held opponents to a .174 batting average, also a Sun Belt high mark. Additionally, Lackie ranks second in the league in ERA, strikeouts looking (61) and innings pitched (207.1). The Walker, La., native is ranked second nationally in innings pitched, tied for ninth in shutouts with nine, and ranked in the Top 15 in strikeouts and wins.

This season, she set the career shutouts mark at South and also became just the second player in program history to reach the 800-strikeout mark for her career. The 14 all-time SBC Pitcher of the Week selections are a program record at South and tied for second-most of any pitcher in league history.

She holds four wins over teams that were ranked in the Top 25 at the time – at Alabama, at South Carolina, at Arkansas and versus Texas State – while also picking up a save in South's road victory at Mississippi State.  In those five contests, Lackie allowed just two earned runs in 23.1 innings of work, while also tossing four scoreless innings versus Arizona, a game in which the Jaguars tied the Wildcats.

Since week two of league play, a span of 18 outings, the senior pitcher has been dominating in the circle for the Jags. During that 18-game stretch – one of which included a 13-inning affair at ULM – Lackie has allowed just 16 earned runs for an 0.98 earned run average, held opponents to a .165 batting average, and struck out 81 batters over the 114.0-inning stretch, while recording a 12-2 record and both of her saves. If you take out the 13-inning game at ULM, Lackie has allowed just four earned runs with a 0.83 ERA in 101.0 innings, and a .153 opponent batting average. What's been even more impressive is that over the 15-game stretch, Lackie has done so with limited run support as the Jags have scored 55 runs (3.9 per game) in her 14 starts.

In the series-opening win at ULM (3/23), Lackie tossed the fifth no-hitter of her career – which is tied with former Jag All-American and South Alabama pitching coach Hannah Campbell – for most in program history. Lackie was nearly perfect against the Warhawks as she allowed just one base runner – a hit batter in the opening frame – and retired the final 19 batters that she faced. 

She has allowed just 26 total earned runs in her 17 appearances against league foes and tossed five of her shutouts in SBC play, including the regular-season finale against Southern Miss, which was the 40th of her career, tying Brooke Mitchell, Louisiana (2002-05) for second-most by a SBC pitcher.

One of the top outfielders in the league, Brasher returned for her fifth season in 2024 and has been extremely valuable for the Jags, both at the top of the lineup and in centerfield. The preseason all-league selection and four-time all-SBC selection enters the postseason leading the club at the plate with a .322 batting average, while also leading the team in hits (55), runs scored (34) and stolen bases (26). Brasher's 26 steals lead the Sun Belt Conference and are among the NCAA leaders in the category. She also leads the club with 14 multi-hit efforts.

Defensively, the Orange Beach, Ala., native hasn't committed an error in the outfield in any of her 122 defensive chances. The senior outfielder has been clutch in two-out situations batting .341 with a team-high 15 hits and 10 RBI, which is tied with Olivia Branstetter for second-best on the roster.  

On March 16 versus Louisiana in the series finale, Brasher tied Kaleigh Todd's career mark for stolen bases as she recorded the 75th stolen base of her career, and one game later with her third-inning steal of second versus McNeese State (3/26), the graduate senior took over sole possession of the mark with her 76th stolen base. Brasher also etched her name in the Jaguar record books in the season opener as she tied a single-game record with four steals against North Carolina Central (2/9/24), matching Evelyne Pare's mark (vs. Northwestern State (3/25/08), the most by a South Alabama player in nearly 16 seasons. For her career, she now has 85 stolen bases and this spring she is 26-for-28 on the base paths 

In the same week that she became the program's career steals leader, Brasher also reached another milestone as she became the fifth player in program history to join the 200-hit club. In the series finale versus Texas State, Brasher posted another multi-hit game, her 10th of the season and the 52nd of her career to move her into sole possession of fourth place in the category. Her second hit of the game was her biggest as it tied her with Blair Johnson in the career hits category as it was the 203rd of her career, but drove in the game-winning run as her walk-off, seventh-inning single scored Marley Sims from second to give the Jags a 3-2 win and snap Texas State's seven-game win streak. With her hit versus Georgia Southern (4/13), Brasher moved into third all-time in the category, passing Emily Messer (208, 2013-16). During the series finale with Georgia State (4/20), the graduate senior recorded the 214th of her career to move into second place at South. She currently has 221 for her career.

For the first time in her career, Brasher was named the SBC Player of the Week following the next-to-last week of the regular season after batting .500 with six hits, four RBI, three runs scored and a pair of stolen bases in the series against Troy. Brasher came up big in each of the finale two games of the series versus the Trojans, as she had a career-best four hits, scored twice and drove in a pair, while in the series finale, her two-run triple broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Jags the lead for good.

2024 Sun Belt Conference Softball Postseason Awards
Pitcher of the Year: Jessica Mullins, Texas State (Sr., P - Tarkington, Texas)
Player of the Year: Mihyia Davis, Louisiana (So., OF – Lovelady, Texas)
Freshman of the Year: Payton List, James Madison (R-Fr., DP – Beaver, Pa.)
Newcomer of the Year: Brooke Ellestad, Louisiana (Jr., SS – Kimberly, Wis.)
Coach of the Year: Gerry Glasco, Louisiana

All-Sun Belt First Team 
Georgia Hood, Coastal Carolina (So., 1B – Mount Gambier, Australia)
Brooklyn Ulrich, Marshall (R-So., 2B – Mesa, Ariz.)
Hannah Earls, Texas State (Sr., SS – Willis, Texas)
Brooke Ellestad, Louisiana (Jr., SS – Kimberly, Wis.)
Sara Vanderford, Texas State (Gr., 3B – Pasadena, Texas) 
Mihyia Davis, Louisiana (So., OF – Lovelady, Texas)
Reed Butler, James Madison (Gr., OF – Pomfret, Md.)
Kayt Houston, App State (Sr., OF – Rock Hill, S.C.)
Mackenzie Brasher, South Alabama (Gr., OF – Orange Beach, Ala.)
Bella Henzler, James Madison (So., C – Allison Park, Pa.)
Hannah Borden, Southern Miss (Gr., C – Trussville, Ala.)
Payton List, James Madison (R-Fr., DP – Beaver, Pa.)
Olivia Lackie, South Alabama (Sr., P – Walker, La.)
Jessica Mullins, Texas State (Sr., P - Tarkington, Texas)
Sam Landry, Louisiana (Jr., P – Mont Belvieu, Texas)

All-Sun Belt Second Team 
Sam Roe, Louisiana (JR., 1B – Destin, Fla.)
JJ Smith, Texas State (Sr., 1B – Rosenberg, Texas)
Alexa Langeliers, Louisiana (Jr., 2B – Keller, Texas)
Taylor McKinney, Troy (Jr., 2B – Montgomery, Ala.)
Audra Thompson, Troy (Sr., SS – Kissimmee, Fla.)
Sydney Bickel, Marshall (Sr., SS – Peoria, Ariz.)
Delaney Keith, Coastal Carolina (So., 3B – Nampa, Idaho)
Lourdes Bacon, ULM (Sr., OF – San Antonio, Texas)
Emma Davis, Georgia Southern (So., OF – Grayson, Ga.)
Bella Gerlach, Marshall (So., OF – Corydon, Ind.)
Peyton Darnell, App State (Gr., C – Fort Mill, S.C.)
Laney Credeur, Louisiana (Jr., DP – Old Mines, Mo.)
Jana Lee, Southern Miss (Jr., DP – Albany, Ga.)
Raelee Brabham, Coastal Carolina (5th Yr., P – Moncks Corner, S.C.)
Chloe Riassetto, Louisiana (So., P – Friendswood, Texas)

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