MONROE, La. – The HCU softball team is set to open the 2023 campaign on Friday at the Best on the Bayou Classic hosted by ULM with five games scheduled over three days.
This year's roster features 11 returners from last year's team that reached the Southland Conference Tournament semifinals, including preseason all-conference selections
Lyndie Swanson and
Haylie Savage. Seven newcomers round out the Huskies' roster with four transfers and three freshmen.
Swanson, a junior pitcher, was a third team all-conference selection last season after leading the Huskies with nine wins and two saves in the circle with a 3.27 earned run average. She pitched a total of 124.1 innings and her 74 strikeouts ranked sixth among all SLC pitchers. Swanson owns a 2.24 career ERA for the Huskies with 145 strikeouts and a 21-11 career record.
Savage, a sophomore utility player, was a third team selection at third base as a freshman last season. In her first year of collegiate softball, batted .278 while appearing in and starting all 48 of the team's games. She finished tied for the team-lead with 10 doubles and belted three home runs. Savage was tied for third on the team with 20 RBI and also scored 15 runs.
Jasie Roberts batted .264 last season, scoring 22 runs and driving in 20. For her career, Roberts is a .311 hitter. Other returners include
Avery Drake, who started 45 games last season, and
Autumn Sydlik, who has totaled 15 home runs, 20 doubles and 67 RBI over the course of her career.
Head coach
Mary-Ellen Hall, the third-longest tenured NCAA Division I coach in the country, begins her 32
nd season at the helm. She enters the season with 860 career wins.
Joining the Huskies in the tournament are the host ULM Warhawks, Lindenwood and Western Michigan. ULM finished last season with a 27-27 record and won the lone meeting with the Huskies, 11-7, at a neutral site. Lindenwood is in its first year of transition from NCAA Division II to Division I. Last season, the Lions went 35-13 and reached an NCAA Regional. The Broncos finished last season with a 22-32 record.
HCU's schedule for the tournament opens with a single game on Friday, Feb. 10, against Lindenwood at 11:30 a.m. On Saturday, Feb. 11, the Huskies will play Lindenwood at 10:00 a.m. followed by Western Michigan at 12:30 p.m. HCU then concludes the tournament with a doubleheader against ULM on Sunday, Feb. 12, beginning at 11:30 a.m.
