Cameron Eighth in LSC Preseason Poll

RICHARDSON, Texas – The Lone Star Conference released the 2023 Softball Preseason Poll on Tuesday, which had the Aggies picked to finish eighth.

The league's preseason poll reflects the opinions of LSC head coaches, sports information directors and various media representatives throughout the region.

Cameron received 242 points in the poll after going 25-24 in 2022, which included a 13-17 conference record. The Aggies finished ninth in the league standings and fell in the first round of the LSC Tournament to West Texas A&M to end the year.

CU comes into the year with a new head coach, Emma Johansen. The Black-and-Gold returns two All-LSC honorees from a season ago, Kaiden Boren and Khmari Edwards. Most notably missing from the roster is two-time All-LSC recipient Breley Webb.

Boren, an NFCA DII National Freshman of the Year finalist from a season ago, was named the LSC Freshman of the Year. The Harrah, Okla. native hit .347 for Cameron while starting all 49 games behind the plate. She also led the team with 12 homers and 38 RBI while slugging .771, which was second in the league. Boren also added her name to the D2 softball record books on Apr. 8 when she hit two grand slams in consecutive innings against Western New Mexico (she finished the weekend with 16 RBI over a 4-game span).

Edwards, a senior from Del City, Okla., was an All-American in 2019. She boasted an average of .344 last season with 50 runs scored, 11 doubles, 31 RBI, and a team-high 30 stolen bases. She is a career .367 hitter for Cameron. She ranks in the top 5 in program history in batting average, on-base percentage, runs scored, and stolen bases and is top 10 in a handful of other statistical categories.

The Aggies return a core group of players who started at least 20 games in, Ashlynn Bruce, Karis Clark, Kylie French, Maci McMurtrey, Mikayla Richmond, and Josie Swafford and pitchers Robyn Bales, Jocelyn Bright, and Swafford.

UT Tyler was picked to defend their title from last season with 35 of 37 first-place votes and 550 total points; the Patriots earned the LSC title for the second straight year and the South Central Region crown. UTT saw its season end in the 2022 NCAA Division II Softball Championship semifinals.

Angelo State placed second in the poll with 474 points, while Texas A&M-Kingsville was third with one top vote and 466 points. Lubbock Christian ranked fourth with 454 points, followed by Oklahoma Christian fifth with the remaining first-place vote and a total of 405.

West Texas A&M was sixth with 368 points, St. Mary's seventh (346), Cameron eighth (242), St. Edward's ninth (240), and Texas Woman's (228) completed the top 10. Texas A&M International, Eastern New Mexico, Midwestern State, UT Permian Basin and Western New Mexico rounded out the poll.

Angelo State's Paxton Scheurer was tabbed LSC Preseason Player of the Year, while UT Tyler's Tatum Goff picked up LSC Preseason Pitcher of the Year acclaim.

The single-elimination LSC Championship featuring the top 10 teams will be played May 4-5-6, at the No. 1 seed. The winner of the postseason championship will be recognized as LSC Tournament Champion and receive the league's automatic qualification into the NCAA postseason.

Cameron opens the season on Feb. 7 with a doubleheader at Rogers State, the defending national champions and unanimous No. 1 in the NFCA Preseason Poll. The first home games will be on Feb. 17 against UT Permian Basin.

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Players Mentioned

#21 Breley Webb: P/1B; 5' 8"; Junior; L/L

#11 Robyn Bales: P; 5' 7"; Senior; R/R

#13 Kaiden Boren: C; 5' 8"; Sophomore; R/R

#8 Jocelyn Bright: P; 5' 6"; Junior; R/R

#22 Ashlynn Bruce: UTIL; 5' 4"; Junior; R/R

#18 Karis Clark: INF; 5' 5"; Senior; R/R

#16 Khmari Edwards: INF; 5' 6"; Senior; R/R

#23 Kylie French: 3B; 5' 6"; Senior; R/R

#2 Maci McMurtrey: OF; 5' 3"; Redshirt Sophomore; L/R

#19 Mikayla Richmond: OF; 5' 10"; Senior; L/R

Players Mentioned

#21 Breley Webb
: 5' 8"; Junior; L/L
: P/1B

#11 Robyn Bales
: 5' 7"; Senior; R/R
: P

#13 Kaiden Boren
: 5' 8"; Sophomore; R/R
: C

#8 Jocelyn Bright
: 5' 6"; Junior; R/R
: P

#22 Ashlynn Bruce
: 5' 4"; Junior; R/R
: UTIL

#18 Karis Clark
: 5' 5"; Senior; R/R
: INF

#16 Khmari Edwards
: 5' 6"; Senior; R/R
: INF

#23 Kylie French
: 5' 6"; Senior; R/R
: 3B

#2 Maci McMurtrey
: 5' 3"; Redshirt Sophomore; L/R
: OF

#19 Mikayla Richmond
: 5' 10"; Senior; L/R
: OF