SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Evangel Valor will travel to Ottawa, Kan., Tuesday (Feb. 8) afternoon to kick off the 2022 softball season with a 1:00 pm doubleheader against the NAIA ranked #7 Ottawa Braves at the Dick Peters Sports Complex.
OPENING STORYLINES
► Evangel has won two of its last three season openers, including a doubleheader sweep of UHSP (9-0, 8-1) last March in Springfield to kick off the 2021 season.
►Tuesday's doubleheader will mark the first meeting between Evangel and Ottawa since EU was swept by Ottawa (1-4, 2-4) in their final games of the shortened 2020 season.
► Jay Halbrook returns as the head coach of Evangel Softball, after leading the Valor to a record of 31-18 last season and a semifinal berth in the Heart of America Conference Tournament. Currently in Halbrook's seventh season as head coach, the Valor have an all-time record of 141-116.
► Evangel was placed to finish 6th in the Heart Conference's preseason poll after a dominant 31-18 record last spring.
► EU returns NAIA All-American Ali Raley as well as Heart of America Athletic Conference honorees Megan Stone, Abby Jo Emmitt, and Mariah Hanner. Raley led Evangel in batting with a .451 average and 42 RBIs. Stone recorded a .378 batting average and led the team in runs with 47. Emmitt was EU's ace last season, leading the team in strikeouts with 165 and claimed 16 victories. Hanner also had a strong performance at the plate last season, hitting .363 in her first full season with the Valor.
► The Valor hit .318 as a team last season, led by Raley whose .451 batting average was good for 13th in the nation.
► Evangel home games in 2022 will be streamed live on the Evangel Sports Network in conjunction with the Heart Network. Fans can download the Heart Conference Network App for AppleTV, Amazon, or Roku and watch Evangel softball games on their smart TV or streaming devices.
LOOKING AHEAD
Evangel will head to Leavenworth, Kan., to face off against host team Saint Mary as well as Briar Cliff on Friday (Feb. 11). First pitch is slated for 11:00 am against Saint Mary.
For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.
—#OneValor—
