Lewis named SLC Coach of the Year; 3 Colonels earn All-Southland

After leading the Colonels to one of the biggest turnarounds in the NCAA this season, Nicholls State University head softball coach Justin Lewis has been named 2023 Southland Conference Coach of the Year as the league office announced Monday afternoon its honors and all-league teams.

For All-Southland, three Colonels garnered All-SLC with freshman Erin Krause and junior Alexa Poche’ being selected First Team, while senior Melise Gossen landed on Second Team.

Lewis is the fourth coach in program history to earn SLC Coach of the Year, joining two-time winners Cathy Compton and Angel Santiago, and Lu Harris.

In his second season, Lewis led the Colonels to a 27-22 overall record and a 13-11 mark in conference, good for third place in the SLC standings. After going 12-38 and 4-14 in his inaugural campaign, Nicholls was projected to finish last in the Southland preseason poll by a wide margin. But with the help of 13 freshmen and four transfers, the Colonels’ win total improved by 15 games – the second most in the NCAA this season.

Although the newcomers were pivotal in the Colonels’ turnaround, two veterans – Poche’ and Gossen – earned All-SLC after both were named to the preseason squad. Poche’ put together a breakout year, ranking ninth in the league with a .329 batting average and was fifth with 35 RBIs. The Colonel outfielder totaled eight doubles, two triples and four home runs and saw a significant decrease in her strikeout numbers from a year ago – going from 41 to 18.

Gossen started at third and first base in her final campaign and was one of the Southland’s top sluggers en route to her second consecutive All-SLC honor. She hit .292 on the season and tied for second in the league in home runs (9) and RBIs (41). As the lone senior on the Colonels, she had a storybook final home at-bat when she hit a game-tying homer in the seventh inning against HCU, helping the Colonels earn their first sweep of the season. Gossen was a two-time SLC Hitter of the Week this season.

Krause had a phenomenal rookie campaign for the Red and Gray, ranking third in the SLC with a .377 batting average and a league-leading five triples. She also tied for fifth in the conference with 11 doubles, ranked sixth in slugging at .541 and was 10th with 30 RBIs. Playing primarily at second base this season, Krause started her career as a Colonel with a 11-game hitting streak.

McNeese’s eight overall selections to the all-conference teams leads the league, followed by Southeastern with five. HCU and Nicholls each had three selections, while A&M-Corpus Christi had two honorees and Lamar, Northwestern State, and A&M-Commerce had one apiece.

Player of the Year: Bailey Krolczyk, Southeastern
Hitter of the Year: Bailey Krolczyk, Southeastern
Pitcher of the Year: Primrose Aholelei, A&M-Corpus Christi
Freshman of the Year: AB Garcia, HCU
Newcomer of the Year: Primrose Aholelei, A&M-Corpus Christi
Coach of the Year: Justin Lewis, Nicholls

FIRST TEAM

SECOND TEAM