by Otis Kirk
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Redshirt senior Chenise Delce and junior Hannah Gammill have been named preseason All-SEC by the league’s coaches.
Becoming the second straight Razorback to be named SEC Pitcher of the Year and collecting NFCA Second Team All-American honors in 2022, Delce appeared in 37 games with 24 starts, going 19-3 and notching 11 wins and two saves against ranked opponents (ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25). The Oklahoma City product paced Arkansas with a 2.12 ERA, 188 strikeouts, 14 complete games and five shutouts. Her 8.70 strikeouts per 7.0/IP sits second in single-season program history. During league play, Delce posted the second-lowest ERA (1.87) and opponent batting average (.207) in the SEC.
Gammill is coming off a sensational sophomore campaign where she became the youngest Hog to pick up NFCA First Team All-American praise. The Beebe, Ark., native started all 59 games at third and slashed .374/.781/.513 while slugging the fourth-most home runs in single-season program history with 18. Gammill posted 15 multi-hit games and 16 games with multiple RBIs, including seven outings with three-plus RBIs. Gammill compiled a .964 fielding percentage on 140 total chances.
The preseason All-SEC Softball Team is voted on by the conference’s head coaches and consists of a minimum of 21 players to highlight the upcoming season.
The duo has also been tabbed to USA Softball’s 2023 Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List and preseason All-America teams by Softball America.
No. 6 Arkansas is scheduled to open the 2023 season at 4 p.m. Feb. 10 against Weber State at the Rebel Kickoff in Las Vegas. The Razorbacks will play five games opening weekend at the Rebel Kickoff, taking on Weber State (twice), host UNLV, Southern Utah and Baylor before heading to the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational Feb. 17-19. Arkansas will square off with No. 4 Florida State, No. 19 Duke, Indiana, No. 24 Louisiana and Nebraska in Clearwater, Fla., before returning to Fayetteville to open the home schedule Feb. 23 with a doubleheader against No. 15 Arizona beginning at 3 p.m. inside the friendly confines of Bogle Park. Season tickets are available by calling the Razorback Ticket Center at 479-575-5151 or by visiting arkansasrazorbacks.com.