JACKSON, Miss. - The Belhaven Softball team is gearing up for an important 2023 season and the schedule for their spring has been released. Heading into their first year in the newly formed Collegiate Conference of the South, the 2023 campaign will bring about new opposition for the Blazers who look to continue to keep themselves in the national conversation.

Expectations for the 2023 campaign will be high for a Belhaven team that won the competitive American Southwest Conference and reached the Super Regional round in the NCAA Tournament last season. The Blazers ended the 2022 campaign ranked 7th in the end of year NFCA Coaches Poll after spending the majority of the campaign inside the Top 10. Belhaven also earned seven wins over Top 5 teams and 12 wins over those ranked inside the Top 25 a year ago.

Head Coach Kevin Griffin is entering his 13th season at the helm of the program and had this to say about expectations for Belhaven this season...

"This will be a very talented group, but we have to write our own story. Everything that has happened in the past, all of the success in dominating our old conference the past few years doesn't mean anything anymore. This is a new year with new challenges and new expectations."  

Belhaven will be hoping to lean on a veteran heavy team as they return a large part of the lineup and pitching staff that has seen so much success over the past couple of seasons. The Blazers return their three NFCA All-Americans from a year ago with Kennedy Carruth, Allie Gordon and Ellie Jones all sure to play influential roles for Belhaven this season.

Including Carruth, Gordon and Jones the Blazers also are returning Gracey Baucom, Sydney Runnels, Natalie Parker and Macy Ziskin who each earned ASC All-Conference Honors last year. Belhaven also has added plenty of newcomers who are sure to bolster depth and help the Blazers in the inaugural CCS campaign.

Head Coach Kevin Griffin on the depth of the pitching staff...

"Our pitching depth is crazy for NCAA Division III. Adding Ashlyn Jenkins and Taylor Heaton to our staff really adds some great depth and experience to go along with Kennedy [Carruth], Gracey [Baucom], and Natalie [Parker] who were so good for us last year."

Head Coach Kevin Griffin on returning the entire 2022 infield...

"I'm excited to have our entire infield back this year. I'm not sure how Ellie Jones can top her performance as a freshman last year, but I believe that she will be even better for us in 2023. Anna McNeer is a rock behind the plate with one of the strongest arms I've ever coached and Sydney Runnels is so steady at second base while providing consistent offensive threat for us as well. Having Macy Ziskin return at shortstop this year is a huge benefit for our team. She came into the preseason last year and simply took over that position and never looked back. Adding her to the left side of the infield with Allie Gordon, who I already felt was the best position player/hitter in the country, just made us that much better."

Head Coach Kevin Griffin on a new-look outfield in 2023...

"Losing all three of our starting outfielders from last season will arguably be our biggest challenge this season. Haley Hanson, Marlee Blackwell and Abby Trahan all played huge roles for us over the past few seasons and aren't easy to replace. We have some new faces that will look to fill those spots for us including junior college transfer Madi Miller who has good speed in the outfield and can provide some depth behind the plate."

A new conference will bring with it plenty of new opposition and the 2023 schedule for the Blazers will look far different than what it has been over previous seasons. Belhaven opens their season with an exhibition against Division I Jackson State on February 14th before kicking off the regular season with a home doubleheader against 2022 NCAA Tournament team Berry College on February 18th. 

Rivals Millsaps will make the trip down Riverside to McLeod Field for a doubleheader on February 25th to close out the first month of the season. Belhaven's first road trip will be to Alabama when they face Birmingham-Southern on March 1st. 

The Blazers will then spend the first two weekends in March competing in a pair of high profile tournaments. From March 3rd through the 5th the Blazers will compete in the William Peace Tournament in Raleigh, NC where they'll face six top teams including 2022 National Champion Christopher Newport. Belhaven will then head to The Spring Games in Orlando, FL from March 11th through March 14th where they will play six games against national opposition.

The first Collegiate Conference of the South contest comes on March 17th when they host Agnes Scott College which kicks off six straight CCS games at home. Belhaven closes the month of March with their first road CCS matchup as they take on Huntingdon College in Montgomery. Belhaven will continue CCS play before a brief two-game set against Millsaps on April 11th. The Blazers close the season at Rhodes College on April 23rd in Memphis. 

Head Coach Kevin Griffin on Belhaven's 2023 schedule...

"Our non-conference schedule is set up to be one of the toughest in the country this year with the likes of defending national champion Christopher Newport and perennial powers Virginia Wesleyan, Berry, and Birmingham Southern. We'll be tested early on, but I also believe that we will be a great test for these teams that we are playing as well. The quality of our competition will be off the charts."

To view the 2023 Belhaven Schedule click here. 

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