Tulsa Picked to Repeat as American Athletic Conference Champs
1/17/2018 2:05:00 PM | Softball
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The University of Tulsa softball team garnered six first-place votes and the squad was picked to repeat as American Athletic Conference champions by the league's coaches, the conference office announced on Wednesday.
TU earned 48 points, while Houston picked up a pair of first-place votes and 44 points. USF was picked to finish third, followed by UCF, league newcomer Wichita State, Memphis, UConn and ECU.
Tulsa returns 13 letterwinners, including seven position starters and NFCA All-American pitcher Emily Watson, from last year's team. The 2017 team went 41-17 overall and 15-3 in conference action to win the program's first regular-season title since joining The American prior to the 2015 campaign. The squad went on to win The American Tournament for an automatic bid to its ninth NCAA Regional, where it fell to eventual national champion Oklahoma.
Overall, the team returns three of its top four hitters, led by outfielder Julia Hollingsworth. The junior hit .365 last season with 48 runs scored, 66 hits, 10 doubles, two triples, five homers and 28 RBIs batting mostly in the leadoff spot of the order. In addition, the speedster stole a team-high 17 bases. Junior infielders Tori Stafford (.329/49 H/4 HR/20 RBI) and Morgan Neal (.288/51 H/1 HR/23 RBI) also return to help power the TU offense.
In the circle, Watson put up one of the best seasons in program history with a 1.25 ERA and 30-6 record to go along with a pair of saves and 348 strikeouts in 246.2 innings of work. The conference's Pitcher of the Year, Watson led the nation with 14 shutouts and was named The American Pitcher of the Week a record eight times before becoming the sixth TU player to earn NFCA All-America honors.
The Golden Hurricane will begin the 2018 campaign Feb. 9-11 with five games in three days at the Cowgirl Classic in McNeese State. The season starts at 1 p.m. on Feb. 9 against Virginia.
American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Tulsa (6) – 48
2. Houston (2) – 44
3. USF – 34
4. UCF – 29
5. Wichita State – 25
6. Memphis – 19
7. UConn – 14
8. ECU – 11
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