NEW ORLEANS – Louisiana sweeps the top Sun Belt Conference softball preseason recognitions heading into the 2019 season with the Ragin' Cajuns tabbed the favorite to win the regular-season title, junior shortstop Alissa Dalton selected Preseason Player of the Year and junior pitcher Summer Ellyson tabbed Preseason Pitcher of the Year in a vote by the league's head coaches.
Louisiana, ranked 15th in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 and 18th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25, garnered 98 points and eight first-place votes to grab the top spot. Texas State and Troy each received one first-place vote with the Bobcats coming in second with 88 points and the Trojans close behind in third with 82 points.