Texas State finished in third place in the 2021 Sun Belt Coaches Poll and saw senior shortstop Tara Oltmann selected to the preseason all-conference team on Monday.
The Bobcats received 72 points in the poll, only trailing No. 9 Louisiana in first place with 100 points and Troy in second with 87 points. Following Texas State was Coastal Carolina and UT Arlington, who tied for fourth place with 68 points each, Appalachian State in sixth with 43 points, Georgia Southern in seventh with 38 points, South Alabama with in eighth with 36 points, Louisiana-Monroe in ninth with 22 points and Georgia State in 10th with 16 points.
Oltmann started 19 games at shortstop and designated player in 2020, hitting for a career-high .377 and driving in 16 RBIs. The Giddings native was previously also selected to the 2019 All-Sun Belt Second Team as well as the 2020 all-conference preseason team.
The Ragin’ Cajuns received all 10 of the poll’s first-place votes. Louisiana junior shortstop Alissa Dalton and right-hander Summer Ellyson were named the Sun Belt’s Preseason Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively.
The Bobcats finished with a 15-9 record in 2020 before the Sun Belt suspended play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Texas State will begin the 2021 season hosting Texas Tech, which received votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches preseason poll, for a pair of games this weekend. Saturday’s season-opening game starts at 1 p.m. and Sunday’s at noon, both taking place inside Bobcat Softball Stadium, which will be operating at a 35% capacity.
