UT MARTIN SOFTBALL PICKED THIRD IN OVC PRESEASON POLL; FULLER TABBED PLAYER TO WATCH
2/1/2024 2:00:00 PM | Softball
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – With the 2024 season right around the corner, the University of Tennessee at Martin softball team has been tabbed to finish third in the annual Ohio Valley Conference Predicted Order of Finish. Additionally, senior outfielder Kaci Fuller has been tabbed as one of the league's top performers as an OVC Softball Player to Watch.
Reigning regular season champion Southeast Missouri was selected to repeat with 157 total points – including 13 first-place votes – while Eastern Illinois earned six first-place votes and tabulated 148 total points after winning the 2023 OVC Softball Championship title. UT Martin also earned a first-place vote while coming in third overall with 120 points followed by Southern Indiana (112 points) in fourth. Slotting in behind the top four is SIUE (111), Tennessee State (80), Lindenwood (65), Morehead State (44), Western Illinois (33) and Tennessee Tech (30).
The Skyhawks are coming off a 23-24 overall record in 2023 campaign while finishing fourth in the league standings with a 13-10 mark. The Skyhawks recorded a .282 batting average which ranks as the seventh-best mark in program history while its .463 slugging percentage ranked second in school history. The squad also led the OVC in home runs (58), slugging percentage (.461) and fielding percentage (97.8 percent).
Sitting atop the Skyhawk lineup is Fuller who returns after earning three All-OVC honors throughout her decorated career which includes being tabbed to the OVC 75th Anniversary Team last summer. A reigning All-OVC first team selection, Fuller ranks first in program history in career batting average (.381) while sitting third in slugging percentage (.560) and fifth in on-base percentage (.417).
A native of Huntingdon, Tenn., Fuller is coming off a 2023 campaign in which the outfielder notched a .404 batting average with 23 runs scored, nine doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 30 RBIs. She finished the regular season as the OVC's batting champion with a .413 average before entering the OVC Softball Championship field while leading the squad with 19 multi-hit performances. Arguably her best game came against Valparaiso when she tied a program single-game record with four hits while adding five RBIs.
UT Martin returns 14 contributors from last season's squad – including a full lineup of offensive starters and a balanced pitching staff. Highlighting the squad are three returning All-OVC selections in Fuller, outfielder Avry Blume and infielder/pitcher Katie Dreiling while also welcoming back OVC All-Newcomer performers Brooklynn Linneman (pitcher) and Kiersten Nixon (outfielder/pitcher).
The Skyhawks open the season next week with an appearance in the Trojan Classic down in Troy, Ala. The squad is slated to play four games in the opening tournament of the season, including its debut against Samford on Friday, Feb. 9.
2024 OVC Softball Predicted Order of Finish
1. Southeast Missouri (13) 157
2. Eastern Illinois (6) - 148
3. UT Martin (1) - 120
4. Southern Indiana - 112
5. SIUE - 111
6. Tennessee State - 80
7. Lindenwood - 65
8. Morehead State - 44
9. Western Illinois - 33
10. Tennessee Tech - 30
OVC Players to Watch
Rachel Kaufman, Eastern Illinois
Amanda Weyh, Lindenwood
Jessie Begley, Morehead State
Aubrie Shore, Southeast Missouri
Sydney Baalman, SIUE
Josie Newman, Southern Indiana
Anayah Baker-Rowell, Tennessee State
Mackenzie Fitzgerald, Tennessee Tech
Kaci Fuller, UT Martin
Bella Alvarez, Western Illinois
Reigning regular season champion Southeast Missouri was selected to repeat with 157 total points – including 13 first-place votes – while Eastern Illinois earned six first-place votes and tabulated 148 total points after winning the 2023 OVC Softball Championship title. UT Martin also earned a first-place vote while coming in third overall with 120 points followed by Southern Indiana (112 points) in fourth. Slotting in behind the top four is SIUE (111), Tennessee State (80), Lindenwood (65), Morehead State (44), Western Illinois (33) and Tennessee Tech (30).
The Skyhawks are coming off a 23-24 overall record in 2023 campaign while finishing fourth in the league standings with a 13-10 mark. The Skyhawks recorded a .282 batting average which ranks as the seventh-best mark in program history while its .463 slugging percentage ranked second in school history. The squad also led the OVC in home runs (58), slugging percentage (.461) and fielding percentage (97.8 percent).
Sitting atop the Skyhawk lineup is Fuller who returns after earning three All-OVC honors throughout her decorated career which includes being tabbed to the OVC 75th Anniversary Team last summer. A reigning All-OVC first team selection, Fuller ranks first in program history in career batting average (.381) while sitting third in slugging percentage (.560) and fifth in on-base percentage (.417).
A native of Huntingdon, Tenn., Fuller is coming off a 2023 campaign in which the outfielder notched a .404 batting average with 23 runs scored, nine doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 30 RBIs. She finished the regular season as the OVC's batting champion with a .413 average before entering the OVC Softball Championship field while leading the squad with 19 multi-hit performances. Arguably her best game came against Valparaiso when she tied a program single-game record with four hits while adding five RBIs.
UT Martin returns 14 contributors from last season's squad – including a full lineup of offensive starters and a balanced pitching staff. Highlighting the squad are three returning All-OVC selections in Fuller, outfielder Avry Blume and infielder/pitcher Katie Dreiling while also welcoming back OVC All-Newcomer performers Brooklynn Linneman (pitcher) and Kiersten Nixon (outfielder/pitcher).
The Skyhawks open the season next week with an appearance in the Trojan Classic down in Troy, Ala. The squad is slated to play four games in the opening tournament of the season, including its debut against Samford on Friday, Feb. 9.
2024 OVC Softball Predicted Order of Finish
1. Southeast Missouri (13) 157
2. Eastern Illinois (6) - 148
3. UT Martin (1) - 120
4. Southern Indiana - 112
5. SIUE - 111
6. Tennessee State - 80
7. Lindenwood - 65
8. Morehead State - 44
9. Western Illinois - 33
10. Tennessee Tech - 30
OVC Players to Watch
Rachel Kaufman, Eastern Illinois
Amanda Weyh, Lindenwood
Jessie Begley, Morehead State
Aubrie Shore, Southeast Missouri
Sydney Baalman, SIUE
Josie Newman, Southern Indiana
Anayah Baker-Rowell, Tennessee State
Mackenzie Fitzgerald, Tennessee Tech
Kaci Fuller, UT Martin
Bella Alvarez, Western Illinois
Players Mentioned
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