CHICAGO (February 9, 2023) – Loyola will raise the curtain on the 2023 softball season, the team's first year in the Atlantic 10 Conference, when it competes at Florida Atlantic's Paradise Classic this weekend.
The Ramblers are scheduled for five games in Boca Raton, Fla, including Friday's season-opening doubleheader against Iowa (8 a.m. CT) and No. 23 Mississippi State (10:30 a.m. CT).
On Saturday, Loyola will play host FAU (6 p.m. CT) and Bethune-Cookman (8:30 p.m. CT) in a pair of night games, before closing the weekend against Stony Brook (10:30 a.m.) Sunday morning.
The Ramblers are coming off a 17-30 (10-17 MVC) record last season, which featured an opening-round victory at the MVC Championship.
Now in her fourth season leading Loyola, head coach
Alicia Abbott will manage an experienced squad featuring 14 returners, including six players that each started 40-plus games last spring, with four newcomers joining the program.
Madison Ebeling, the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year, is back for a fifth season at shortstop after starting all 154 games in her career. Ebeling is the team's leading returner at the plate, hitting .288 in her career with 130 hits, 20 doubles, 11 home runs, 54 RBIs and 50 stolen bases.
Peyton Pepkowski, a 2022 Second Team All-MVC selection, returns in the circle for the Ramblers. Pepkowski turned in one of the best freshman seasons by a Loyola pitcher in a decade, compiling a 12-14 overall record, with 166 strikeouts in 164.2 innings of work, to go with a 2.81 ERA. Her 166 strikeouts were the most by a Loyola true freshman since 2011 and rank as the eighth-highest single-season total in Loyola history.
Loyola was picked to finish eighth in the A-10 preseason poll, voted on by the league's head coaches.
SCOUTING IOWA
The Hawkeyes finished 21-31 last season and were picked to finish 12th in the Big Ten by D1Softball.com. Head coach Renee Gillispie, who has over 900 career wins, enters her fifth season at Iowa. The Hawkeyes return three players who started more than 50 games a season ago, right fielder Nia Carter, first baseman Kalena Burns, and center fielder Brylee Klosterman. Carter was named first-team All-Region in 2022, becoming the first Hawkeye to receive NFCA first team All-Region honors since 2015.
SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE
No. 23 Mississippi State, which finished 37-27 last season, advanced to its first Super Regional in program history. MSU was among the top 25 home run teams nationally in 2022 with a school-record 73 long balls. Outfielder Chloe Malau'ulu earned Second Team All-SEC and Second Team All-South Region honors last year and was listed on the 2023 preseason all-conference team. Head coach Samantha Ricketts enters her fourth season leading the Bulldogs, who were picked to finish 11th in the SEC preseason poll.
SCOUTING FLORIDA ATLANTIC
Under new head coach Jordan Clark, Florida Atlantic is coming off its highest win total since 2018 after going 29-26 last season. The Owls return seven starters and pair of starting pitchers, with the group led by a pair of Preseason All-Conference USA honorees in starting pitcher Lynn Gardner and outfielder Sara Berthiaume. FAU was tied for fifth in the C-USA preseason poll.
SCOUTING BETHUNE-COOKMAN
Bethune-Cookman secured a SWAC Eastern Division title last season after going 17-7 in league play and 24-26 overall. The Wildcats will be led by preseason all-league honorees Halyne Gonzalez (pitcher), Desirae Martinez (second base) and Haley Parks (outfielder). Laura Watten, who has 760 career wins and nearly 500 with the Wildcats, is in her 16th season overall at Bethune-Cookman, and ninth season since returning to Daytona Beach after leading Maryland for nine years. The Wildcats were picked to finish third in the SWAC Eastern Division in this year's preseason poll.
SCOUTING STONY BROOK
Stony Brook was picked to finish fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association preseason poll, after finishing 31-16 overall last season. Three Seawolves were selected to the 2023 CAA Preseason Watch List, including senior catcher Corinne Badger, junior infielder Ashley Jacobson and sophomore infielder/outfielder Alyssa Costello. Head coach Megan T. Bryant, who has 945 career wins in 35 years coaching, will enter her 23rd season leading the Seawolves.
UP NEXT
Loyola will head to the Texas Classic on Feb. 17-19, hosted by 2022 national runner-up Texas at Red & Charline McCombs Field in Austin. The Ramblers will play twice against the Longhorns, as well as a pair of games against Incarnate Word, before closing the five-game weekend schedule against Nebraska Omaha.
