Troy Softball Lands Four on All-Sun Belt Team

TROY, Ala. – On the eve of the Sun Belt Conference Softball Tournament, the league office released its annual All-Sun Belt teams Tuesday, which features four Troy players on its second team.

Libby Baker, Kelly Horne, Leanna Johnson and Taylor McKinney were all recognized for their efforts this season in a vote by the league's head coaches. The selections are the first for Baker and McKinney, while Horne's honor is her third and Johnson's selection is the fourth of her career.

"We are certainly extremely proud of all four of our All-Sun Belt recipients as they are more than deserving of this recognition," head coach Eric Newell said. "Leanna and Kelly have been tremendous leaders on and off the field for this program for many years and you couldn't ask for better role models for both Troy and Sun Belt Softball. The future is bright for Libby and Taylor as one of the most explosive offensive combos in the league."

Troy heads to Lafayette, La., for the Sun Belt Tournament as the No. 4 seed, where it will take on No. 5 Texas State at 4 p.m. Thursday; the tournament is a single-elimination format.

Libby Baker
Libby Baker enters the Sun Belt Tournament tied for Troy's lead with 12 home runs. She is slugging at a .650 clip on the season with a .336 batting average and only 18 strikeouts. A native of Skipperville, Ala., Baker has 10 multi-hit and 10 multi-RBI games. She ranks ninth in the league in slugging, fifth in home runs, and 20th in home runs, while her seven homers in league games are tied for the second most while her slugging percentage is 11th best (min. 20 starts).

Kelly Horne
Kelly Horne ranks fifth in the Sun Belt with a .468 on-base percentage after she drew 33 walks, the third-most in the Sun Belt. A Tallahassee, Fla., native, she ranks second in league games with a .506 on-base percentage and her OPS (on-base + slugging) ranks 11th in SBC games. Three of her four home runs have come in the final six games of the season, including a walk-off home run in final home at-bat of her career. Horne's on-base percentage is the seventh best in a season in program history, while her career .473 on-base percentage ranks second in program history.

Leanna Johnson
Troy's all-time winningest pitcher in the circle, Leanna Johnson became just the 105th player in NCAA DI history to surpass the 100-win total and just the 98th pitcher to pass the 1,000-strikeout mark to earn her fourth All-Sun Belt honor. A native of Brantley, Ala., she ranks first in shutouts, wins, complete games, 13th in saves, 14th in K/7 among all active players in the country. Johnson ranks second in the Sun Belt with 24 wins, seventh in ERA, seventh in saves, third in strikeouts, second in shutouts; she posted three games with 10+ strikeouts.

Taylor McKinney
Taylor McKinney enters the Sun Belt Tournament ranked third in the SBC in RBIs, fifth in home runs, fifth in triples, sixth in slugging percentage, seventh in OPS, and ninth in on-base percentage. A native of Montgomery, Ala., McKinney hit six homers in league play and leads the Sun Belt with 29 RBIs in conference games. She was the only two-time Sun Belt Player of the Week and leads Troy with 15 multi-hit games and 13 multi-RBI games, in addition to stealing 10 bases on 11 attempts.

2023 Sun Belt Softball Postseason Awards

Player of the Year: Karly Heath, Louisiana (SR, OF - Alvin, Texas)
Pitcher of the Year: Olivia Lackie, South Alabama (JR, P - Walker, La.)
Newcomer of the Year: Sydney Bickel, Marshall (JR, SS - Peoria, Ariz.)
Freshman of the Year: Mihyia Davis, Louisiana (FR, OF - Lovelady, Texas)
Coach of the Year: Becky Clark, South Alabama

First Team
Olivia Lackie, South Alabama (JR, P - Walker, La.)
Sydney Nester, Marshall (R-SR, P - Hillsville, Va.)
Hannah Shifflett, James Madison (GR, 1B - North Garden, Va.)
KK Mathis, James Madison (FR, 2B - West Chester, Ohio)
Sydney Bickel, Marshall (JR, SS - Peoria, Ariz.)
Meredith Keel, South Alabama (GS, 3B - Ashville, Ohio)
Autumn Owen, Marshall (JR, C - Mill Spring, N.C.)
Iyanla De Jesus, Coastal Carolina (SR, DP - Mill Creek, Wash.)
Karly Heath, Louisiana (SR, OF - Alvin, Texas)
Mihyia Davis, Louisiana (FR, OF - Lovelady, Texas)
Victoria Ortiz, South Alabama (R-SR, OF - Mobile, Ala.)
Jessica Mullins, Texas State (JR, P - Tarkington, Texas)
Lauren Allred, Louisiana (FR, 1B - Texarkana, Texas)
Alex Coleman, Marshall (SO, OF - Asheboro, N.C.)
Grace Chelemen, Marshall (5th, OF - Woodhaven, Mich.)

Second Team
Meghan Schorman, Louisiana (SR, P - Hazelwood, Mo.)
Jenna Hardy, South Alabama (SR, P - Whitehouse, Ohio)
Libby Baker, Troy (JR, 1B - Skipperville, Ala.)
Taylor McKinney, Troy (SO, 2B - Montgomery, Ala.)
Alexa Langeliers, Louisiana (SO, SS - Keller, Texas)
Sara Vanderford, Texas State (SR, 3B - Pasadena, Texas)
Sophie Piskos, Louisiana (JR, C - Paris, Tenn.)
Kelly Horne, Troy (SR, DP - Tallahassee, Fla.)
Emily Brown, Georgia State (SR, OF - Suwanee, Ga.)
Mackenzie Brasher, South Alabama (SR, OF - Orange Beach, Ala.)
Kayt Houston, App State (JR, OF - Rock Hill, S.C.)
Hannah Borden, Southern Miss (SR, C - Trussville, Ala.)
Sam Landry, Louisiana (SO, P - Mont Belvieu, Texas)
Emma Davis, Georgia Southern (FR, OF - Grayson, Ga.)
Leanna Johnson, Troy (SR, P - Brantley, Ala.)
Diamond Williams, Coastal Carolina (SR, OF - Evans, Ga.)

Troy University Athletics

Troy Softball Lands Four on All-Sun Belt Team

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Players Mentioned

Libby Baker

Kelly Horne

Leanna Johnson

Taylor McKinney

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