Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop junior pitcher
Reese Basinger was voted to the Big South Conference Preseason All-Conference Team, the league announced Wednesday afternoon.
Basinger earned first team all-league honors in 2023 after setting career-highs in wins (15), earned run average (1.97) and strikeouts (212). She became the first Eagle with 200-plus strikeouts in a single-season since Shahna Ashard had 216 in 2005. Basinger is the 4
th difference Eagle in program history to reach 200 or more strikeouts in a season.
Basinger had three straight games in which she recorded 13 or more strikeouts which included a career-high 16 vs. Radford. She tossed a perfect game on Mar. 25 vs. South Carolina State, the first by an Eagle since Kelli Johnson's perfect game on Apr. 3, 2004.
Winthrop was tied for fourth with Gardner-Webb in the voting for the preseason poll. USC Upstate and Longwood tied for first while Charleston Southern was third. Following the Eagles and Runnin' Bulldogs is Presbyterian College in sixth and Radford was selected seventh.
Winthrop opens the 2024 season on Feb. 10 at home against North Carolina A&T at 1:30 p.m. and face North Carolina at 4 p.m.
The 2024 Big South Softball Championship is slated for May 9-11, and the four-team double-elimination postseason tournament will be hosted by Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. The champion receives the Big South's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
2024 BIG SOUTH SOFTBALL PRESEASON POLL
| Rk - School (first-place votes) |
Points |
| T-1 - Longwood (4) |
45 |
| T-1 - USC Upstate (3) |
45 |
| 3 - Charleston Southern |
34 |
| T-4 - Gardner-Webb |
21 |
| T-4 - Winthrop |
21 |
| 6 - Presbyterian College |
18 |
| 7 - Radford |
12 |
Note: points are based on a weighted system, with first-place votes receiving 7 points, followed by 6 points for second-place, and so on.
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
OF - Denver Lauer, Jr., USC Upstate
OF - Lexie Roberts, Soph., Radford
OF - Adrienne Visintine, Gr., Gardner-Webb
OF - Lauren Fox, Sr., Longwood
INF - Annicka McLaughlin, Soph., Gardner-Webb
INF - Lauren Taylor, Gr., Longwood
INF -
Kaitlyn Tucker, Sr., Presbyterian
INF - Korynna Anderson, Gr., Longwood
C - Abby Wilson, Gr., Radford
DP - Maryanna Guy, Soph., Longwood
UTL - Maddie Lee, Soph., Charleston Southern
P - Maddie Drerup, Soph., USC Upstate
P -
Reese Basinger, Jr., Winthrop
P - Annah Junge, Gr., Charleston Southern
P - Er'ron Burton, Jr., Longwood
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Denver Lauer, OF, Jr., USC Upstate
PRESEASON PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Maddie Drerup, Soph., USC Upstate
