MARSHALL, Texas – Heading into the 2023 softball season, East Texas Baptist University has been picked to win the American Southwest Conference. ETBU received 16 out of the possible 20 first place votes.
 
Head coach Janae Shirley enters her 16^th season at ETBU and has won 509 games and five ASC Tournament Championships. She has taken ETBU to 12 NCAA Tournaments winning the 2010 NCAA Division III National Championship.
 
ETBU gained 194 points and was 15 points ahead of second place Mary Hardin-Baylor University. Hardin-Simmons followed in third with 159 votes and then Texas Dallas at 116 points and McMurry gaining 114 votes to round out the top five teams. It was then Sul Ross State, LeTourneau, Concordia Texas, Ozarks, and Howard Payne.
 
The players to watch on the ASC list for ETBU were Hannah Kelley, Ashley Croft, and Tristen Maddox. Maddox was a NFCA All-American second team selection last year while also being an All-ASC and NFCA All-Region first team member. She batted .377 with 58 hits, 16 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, and 36 RBI with 19 steals. Kelley was an All-ASC second team pitcher last season going 10-2 with five shutouts and 59 strikeouts. She posted 11 strikeouts in a game for a career-high, twice, and has been the ASC Pitcher of the Week six times. Croft made the All-ASC third team as a pitcher with a 10-3 record 45 strikeouts. She is a two-time All-ASC selection and made the NFCA All-Region team in 2021.
 
ETBU finished the 2022 season at 33-12, ranked 15^th in the nation, and hosted the NCAA Division III Marshall, Texas Regional Tournament.
 

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2023 ASC Softball Preseason Poll

Rank	Team (1st place votes)	Pts.	2022 Record (ASC)
1.	East Texas Baptist (16)	194	33-12 (24-6)
2.	Mary Hardin-Baylor (2)	179	32-11 (24-6)
3.	Hardin-Simmons (1)	159	29-15 (18-12)
4.	UT Dallas	116	23-18 (15-15)
5.	McMurry	114	21-18 (14-15)
6.	Sul Ross State	106	23-19 (15-15)
7.	LeTourneau (1)	89	15-26 (11-19)
8.	Concordia Texas	81	14-23 (11-19)
9.	Ozarks	35	6-31 (4-25)
10.	Howard Payne	27	5-34 (2-28)