WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State softball has been voted the 2022 league favorites by the American Athletic Conference coaches, it was announced Tuesday afternoon.
Coming off a sweep of Regular Season and Conference Tournament Championships in 2021, the Shockers enter the 2022 campaign picked to repeat as regular season champs. Wichita State received a league-high four first-place votes and 33 total points, edging out South Florida who garnered 31 points and one vote for first place. A total of four points seperated the top three teams, as UCF picked up the remaining two first-place votes and 29 points. Rounding out the poll were Houston (19), Tulsa (18), East Carolina (9) and Memphis (8).
Wichita State returns 15 letterwinners from 2021, including NFCA All-American shortstop
Sydney McKinney. Joining McKinney are all-conference selections
Addison Barnard andÂ
Neleigh Herring. The Shockers will also lean on two impact transfers in
Zoe Jones (Texas Tech) and
Arielle James (Houston). In the circle Wichita State brings back veteran experience in
Erin McDonald and
Caitlin Bingham.
The Shockers open the season at the Bearkat Classic in Huntsville, Texas, Feb. 11-13. Wichita State will play five games over three days against Dayton, Sam Houston, South Dakota and Houston Baptist.
Season tickets are on sale now at GoShockers.com/Tickets or by calling the Shocker Ticket Office at 316-978-3267.
2022 American Athletic Conference Preseason Softball Coaches' Poll
| Team (First-Place Votes) |
Pts. |
| 1. Wichita State (4) |
33 |
| 2. South Florida (1)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â |
31 |
| 3. UCF (2) |
29 |
| 4. Houston |
19 |
| 5. Tulsa |
18 |
| 6. Memphis |
9 |
| 7. East Carolina |
8 |
