Southeast Missouri has been selected to win the 2020 Ohio Valley Conference crown as voted on by the league’s head softball coaches and sports information directors. The Redhawks earned 16 first-place votes and 236 points. Jacksonville State six first-place votes and is selected to finish second with 221 points while Eastern Kentucky earned the two remaining first-place votes and 195 points to be predicted to place third. SIUE earned 171 points to be selected to finish fourth while Austin Peay is picked to finish fifth with 168 points. Rounding out the poll are Belmont (138), SIUE (123), Tennessee Tech (95), UT Martin (92), Eastern Illinois (76), Tennessee State (43), Morehead State (26).
Southeast Missouri earned a share of its sixth regular-season title last year after going 17-5 in the OVC and 46-18 overall. The Redhawks earned the top spot in the OVC Championship and went on to win its fifth tourney title. Mark Redburn, who was named the 2019 OVC Coach of the Year, is entering his Sixth season at the helm of Southeast Missouri. He will have a pair of All-Conference selections back this season in senior outfielder Rachel Anderson and senior infielder Ashley Ellis. Anderson was named the 2019 OVC Player of the Year after leading the league in batting average (.454), slugging percentage (.842), hits (83) and triples (10). Ellis, who was a first team All-OVC selection, recorded a .330 batting average with 62 hits and a team-leading 17 home runs.
Jacksonville State went 36-15 overall and 17-5 in the OVC to earn a share of its seventh regular-season crown. Jana McGinnis enters her 27th as the head coach of the Gamecocks and will have sophomore infielder Karsen Mosely and senior pitcher Alexus Jimmerson back from last season. Mosely was named to the All-OVC First Team and All-Newcomer after posting a .355 batting average, 44 runs, 49 hits, seven doubles and 13 stolen bases last season. Jimmerson made eight appearances in the circle last year while also recording a .245 batting average, 14 runs scores, 24 hits, eight doubles and five home runs in 2019.
Eastern Kentucky finished in a tie for third last year with a 35-22 overall mark and 16-6 league record. Jane Worthington enters her 28th season as the Colonels coach and will have a pair of All-Conference performers from last season. Junior catcher Zoe Mihalicz was named to the All-OVC Second Team after posting a .302 batting average, 22 runs, 54 hits and 31 RBI. Sammi Miller, a junior outfielder also earned All-Conference Second Team honors. She was fourth in the league with a team-leading .391 batting average. She also posted 52 runs, 72 hits and 11 doubles.
Eight different OVC teams have won a regular-season championship with Jacksonville State, leading the way with seven titles. The regular-season champion has gone on to win the league tournament title 16 times since the inception of the championship in 1994. Last year, Southeast Missouri won its fifth tournament title while the Redhawks and Jacksonville State share the regular-season crown.
2020 OVC SOFTBALL PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
(as voted on by the league’s head softball coaches and sports information directors)
1. Southeast Missouri (16 first-place votes) - 236
2. Jacksonville State (Six first-place votes) - 221
3. Eastern Kentucky (Two first-place votes) - 195
4. Murray State - 171
5. Austin Peay - 168
6. Belmont - 138
7. SIUE - 123
8. Tennessee Tech - 95
9. UT Martin - 92
10. Eastern Illinois - 76
11. Tennessee State - 43
12. Morehead State - 26
(Schools were not allowed to rank their own team. 11 points awarded for a first-place vote, 10 for second, etc.)