NEW ORLEANS | South Alabama softball third baseman Olivia Branstetter was named to the Sun Belt Conference Preseason all-league team on Wednesday as announced by the conference office and voted on by the other league coaches.

Branstetter – a first-team all-Sun Belt Conference selection last season – started all 48 games in which she played at third base and was one of the best at the "hot corner". She ranked second on the club in batting average (.320), hits (40), doubles (7) and RBI (26). The Liberty, Mo., native also walked 24 times and was hit by a pitch 11 times – which ranked fifth in the Sun Belt.

Branstetter had eight multi-hit games this season and seven multi-RBI games during the 2025 campaign, and she twice reached base safely in 10+ games, including a team-high 18 straight games at one point. Branstetter closed out the season on a 14-game reached base safely streak.

She held a .347 batting average with runners in scoring position and batted .857 with runners at third with less than two outs. Of her 26 RBI, 11 came with two outs, which were the most of any Jag, and she also had three walk-off RBI. 

Branstetter was even better in conference play as her .365 batting average and her .492 on-base percentage was 10th highest. She was hit by pitch six times, which is tied for tops in the SBC.

South Alabama will open the 2026 season next week when they compete at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla., (Feb. 6-8).

Sun Belt Conference Preseason Awards
Player of the Year: Aiyana Coleman, Texas State (Sr., 1B – College Station, Texas)
Pitcher of the Year: Madison Azua, Texas State (Jr., LHP – Round Rock, Texas)

Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Team 
P Madison Azua, Texas State (Jr., LHP – Round Rock, Texas)
P Alana Barnard, Georgia Southern (Sr., RHP – Statesboro, Ga.)
C Megan Kelnar, Texas State (Sr., C – Kyle, Texas)
1B Aiyana Coleman, Texas State (Sr., 1B – College Station, Texas)
1B Georgia Hood, Coastal Carolina (Jr., 1B – Mount Gambier, Australia)
2B Morgan Brown, ULM (R-So., 2B – Katy, Texas)
2B Makayla McClain, App State (Sr., 2B – Liberty, N.C.)
3B Olivia Branstetter, South Alabama (Jr., 3B – Liberty, Mo.)
3B Cali Legzdin, James Madison (So., 3B – Beaver Falls, Pa.)
SS Grace Barrett, App State (Jr., SS – Milton, Ga.)
OF Meagan Brown, ULM (Jr., OF – Katy, Texas)
OF Hannah Christian, Southern Miss (So., OF – Hoover, Ala.)
OF Diamond Leslie, Marshall (So., OF – Alpharetta, Ga.)
OF Brooklin Lippert, ULM (Jr., OF – Loganville, Ga.)
DP Payton List, James Madison (R-Jr., DP – Beaver, Pa.) 

2026 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll
(First-place votes in parentheses)
Texas State (8) – 138
ULM – 113
Louisiana (1) – 109
Coastal Carolina (2) – 104
Marshall (1) – 100
App State – 85
James Madison – 75
Georgia Southern – 64
Troy – 63
South Alabama – 42
Southern Miss – 29
Georgia State – 14

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