Harrell Named Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year

IRVING, Texas – Marshall softball senior Aly Harrell was voted Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year, the league office announced today. Harrell was joined on the Preseason All-C-USA team by fellow seniors Sierra Huerta and Saige Pye, and sophomore Mya Stevenson. The Herd was tabbed to finish second in the east.

The preseason team and coaches' poll are voted on by the conference head coaches.

Head coach Megan Smith Lyon returns a talented lineup for her third season at the helm. Despite being picked to finish second in the east, the Herd landed the most players on the preseason team. Marshall returns 42 of its 48 home runs hit last season as the Herd led the nation with 1.92 homers per game. The Marshall pitching staff also brings back 16 of its 18 wins and 135 of the total 157 innings pitched.

Since the start of the 2019 season, no one in the nation has been issued more free passes to first base than Harrell. The Gahanna, Ohio native smashed the old Marshall record of 51 walks in a season (Rachel Folden in 2007) with 68 in 2019. In total over the last 89 games played, Harrell has been granted first base 114 times with 91 walks and 23 hit-by-pitches. The next closest player in Division I over the same span is Alabama's Bailey Hemphill with 86 combined.

Harrell is an imposing presence at the plate, combining a great eye for the strike zone and ability to hit to all fields with power. In 2019, she set the program record for on base percentage at .578 and was on pace to break that record in 2020 (.602) before the remainder of the season was canceled after 25 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The slugger is Marshall's all-time leader in on base percentage (.552), third in slugging (.718) and fifth in batting average (.363). Harrell is one the toughest players in program history to strike out with just 25 in 333 at-bats. She is also fifth all-time at Marshall with 30 career home runs and has driven in 104 runs.

Huerta returns as a super senior, being able to take advantage of coming back after the 2020 season was cut short. The Fillmore, Calif., native was on her way to a spectacular senior year in 2020 hitting .359 and slugging .833. She had 28 hits, scored 27 runs, eight doubles, nine home runs and drove in 26 runs. Huerta led the nation in 2019 with 30 hit-by-pitches, obliterating the old mark of 16 set by Marcena Bertoldo in 2007. In just two short seasons at Marshall, Huerta has played and started in all 89 games, is hitting .309 with 72 hits, 66 runs, 19 doubles, 18 home runs, 59 RBI and slugging .631. She has been a stalwart in the infield at shortstop with a career .952 fielding percentage. Her fire and passion on the field can be felt throughout the stadium.

Pye transferred to Marshall in the summer of 2019 after spending two years at Georgia Tech. The slugger took full advantage of her fresh start as she was on pace to have a monster year. The Stockton, Calif., native finished 2020 leading the team in batting average (.463) and hits (37) in just 25 games. Pye also delivered eight home runs, six doubles, slugged .863 and drove in 28 runs. She saved her best performance for what became the final game of the 2020 season at No. 11 Kentucky as she belted two home runs, including a grand slam and drove in seven runs, one off the program record.

Stevenson has been smashing the ball since first stepping on to the field as a freshman with the Herd in 2019. She broke the team record for home runs in a season that year with 20 and almost took down the single-season RBI mark as well with 58 (record is 60). The Mesquite, Texas native was well on her way to rewriting the record books again in 2020 as she tied for the NCAA lead in homers with 12, and was second in the nation with 36 RBI. Stevenson is already tied for third in program history with 32 home runs and has 94 RBI. She is the team's all-time leader in slugging percentage at .810 and is tied for seventh in career batting average at .347. Stevenson drove in seven runs in a win over Rutgers at Dot Hicks Field in what ended up being the second-to-last game of the season, and came through clutch in many situations throughout the year.

The schedule for the 2021 season is forthcoming.

Conference USA Preseason Coaches' Poll
EAST
1. WKU (8)
2. Marshall (3)
3. Charlotte (1)
4. Middle Tennessee
5. Florida Atlantic
6. FIU

WEST
1. North Texas (10)
2. UAB (1)
3. Southern Miss (1)
4. UTSA
5. Louisiana Tech
6. UTEP
(first place votes in parentheses)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Aly Harrell, Marshall (Senior, IF)

PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Hope Trautwein, North Texas (Senior, RHP)

ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Pitcher: Kelsey Aikey R-Sr. WKU
Pitcher: Shelby Nunn R-Jr. WKU
Pitcher: Hope Trautwein Sr. North Texas
Catcher: Kendall Smith R-Jr. WKU
Catcher: Bailey Vannoy Jr. Charlotte
Infielder: Sierra Huerta Sr. Marshall
Infielder: Summer Burgess Gr. Middle Tennessee
Infielder: Lexi Cushing Gr. Middle Tennessee
Infielder: Aly Harrell Sr. Marshall
Infielder: Riley Grunberg So. UTSA
Infielder: Tayla Evans Jr. North Texas
Outfielder: Kasey Flores Jr. UTEP
Outfielder: Mya Stevenson Jr. Marshall
Outfielder: Celeste Loughman Sr. UTSA
Outfielder: Madison Rayner Jr. Southern Miss
DP/Utility: Saige Pye Sr. Marshall

For all of the latest information on the Marshall Softball team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdSB, Facebook at Marshall University Softball and on www.herdzone.com.

To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!

---HerdZone.com---

Marshall University Athletics

Harrell Named Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year

Related News

Players Mentioned

Aly Harrell

Sierra Huerta

Saige Pye

Mya Stevenson

Related Videos