Saint Louis Billikens softball

For all Saint Louis University sports, see Saint Louis Billikens.

Saint Louis Billikens
University	Saint Louis University
Head coach	Christy Connoyer (14th season)
Conference	Atlantic 10
Location	St. Louis, MO
Home stadium	Billiken Sports Center (Capacity: 500[1])
Nickname	Billikens
Colors	SLU blue and white[2]
Regular Season Conference championships
2023

The Saint Louis Billikens softball team represents Saint Louis University in the NCAA Division I college softball. The team participates in the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10). From 1987 until 1991, the team was a member of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. From 2000 until 2005, the team was a member of the Conference USA (C-USA). The Billikens are currently led by head coach Christy Connoyer. The team plays its home games at Billiken Sports Center located on the university's campus.[1]

History

The Billikens have been a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference since 2006. The team won their first regular season championship in 2023 after finishing the season with a 30–26 record, one of the best records in program history.[3][4][5] However, the team has failed to win the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament, subsequently failing to qualify for the NCAA Division I softball tournament. Since forming a team in 1978, the Billikens have failed to advance to the tournament.

The team's playing field, Billiken Sports Center, was built in 2000 and originally did not feature dugouts.[6] Prior to the building of the softball field, the team was essentially a homeless travel team, playing in several different "home" fields in the St. Louis area, including Forest Park, ABC Ballpark, and the Affton Athletic Association fields.[1][7]

In 2010, the program hired former Southern Illinois assistant coach Christy Connoyer as its head coach.[8] Connoyer was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in 2023, the program's first such award.[9][10] Pitcher Brianna Lore was named Atlantic 10 Co-Pitcher of the Year in 2014, sharing the award with Fordham's Michele Daubman.[11]

Coaching history

Years	Coach	Record	%
1978–1981	Vicki Schneider	55–61–1	.474
1982	Steve Curran	12–24	.333
1983–1985	Suzanna Tillotson	19–70	.213
1986–1988	Sandy Smith	56–68–1	.452
1989–1990	Barbara Hibbeler	27–36–1	.430
1991	Katie Weismiller	12–35	.255
1992–1996	Denise Swanger	27–182	.129
1997–2006	Jim Molloy	142–362–1	.282
2007–2010	John Conway	104–125–2	.455
2011–present	Christy Connoyer	322–327	.496

Roster

2024 Saint Louis Billikens roster
	Pitchers 45 – Anna Christ – Freshman 24 – Taylor Hochman – Junior 12 – Isabel Royle – Freshman 22 – Lily Strand – Freshman Catchers 16 – Kelsey Etling – Graduate Student 13 – Abby Mallo – Sophomore		Infielders 20 – Jocelyn Abbott – Senior 7 – Sophia Boente – Freshman 2 – Kendall Johnson – Junior 18 – Jane Kaniecki – Junior 1 – Chloe Rhine – Sophomore 23 – Abby Ulsas – Freshman Outfielders 00 – Ashley Marietta – Freshman 6 – Sydney Ross – Junior 11 – Natalie Sullivan – Junior Utility 21 – Karsen Jany – Freshman 44 – Allie Marietta – Sophomore 5 – Cami Newbanks – Graduate Student
Reference:[12]

Season by season results

Statistics overview

Season	Coach	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Saint Louis Billikens (Independent) (1978–1986)
1978	Vicki Schneider	7–13
1979	Vicki Schneider	12–8
1980	Vicki Schneider	23–19
1981	Vicki Schneider	13–21–1
1982	Steve Curran	12–24
1983	Suzanna Tillotson	5–26
1984	Suzanna Tillotson	11–16
1985	Suzanna Tillotson	3–28
1986	Sandy Smith	19–21–1
Saint Louis Billikens (Midwestern Collegiate Conference) (1987–1991)
1987	Sandy Smith	24–21
1988	Sandy Smith	13–27
1989	Barb Hibbeler	16–19
1990	Barb Hibbeler	11–17–1
1991	Katie Weismiller	12–35
Saint Louis Billikens (Independent) (1992–1999)
1992	Denise Swanger	4–30
1993	Denise Swanger	14–24
1994	Denise Swanger	2–38
1995	Denise Swanger	1–45
1996	Denise Swanger	6–45
1997	Jim Molloy	1–39
1998	Jim Molloy	5–46
1999	Jim Molloy	4–46
Saint Louis Billikens (Conference USA) (2000–2005)
2000	Jim Molloy	9–43	3–14	6th
2001	Jim Molloy	25–34	5–16	7th
2002	Jim Molloy	24–27	5–17	9th
2003	Jim Molloy	21–18	9–14	7th
2004	Jim Molloy	16–45	1–23	9th
2005	Jim Molloy	18–31–1	4–20	T–8th
Saint Louis Billikens (Atlantic 10 Conference) (2006–present)
2006	Jim Molloy	19–33	8–12	T–6th
2007	John Conway	29–33	11–8	3rd
2008	John Conway	23–33–1	11–9	6th
2009	John Conway	22–33	12–6	3rd
2010	John Conway	30–26–1	12–7–1	4th
2011	Christy Connoyer	29–24	10–8	7th
2012	Christy Connoyer	23–33	9–11	9th
2013	Christy Connoyer	28–23	13–9	5th
2014	Christy Connoyer	30–21	12–5	2nd
2015	Christy Connoyer	36–18	18–5	2nd
2016	Christy Connoyer	25–26	14–8	4th
2017	Christy Connoyer	25–25	12–10	5th
2018	Christy Connoyer	28–29	11–10	5th
2019	Christy Connoyer	19–33	12–10	6th
2020	Christy Connoyer	8–13	0–0	N/A	Season cut short due to COVID-19 Pandemic
2021	Christy Connoyer	19–27	10–12	6th
2022	Christy Connoyer	22–29	13–10	4th
2023	Christy Connoyer	30–26	20–6	1st
2024	Christy Connoyer	0–0	0–0
Total:		776–1,290–6 (.376)
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion

[13][14][15]

See also

• List of NCAA Division I softball programs

References

1. "Facilities". Saint Louis University.
2. "Colors and Fonts". Retrieved December 5, 2022.
3. "Saint Louis Wins First Regular Season Softball Title, Will Be Top Seed for A-10 Championship". atlantic10.com. June 8, 2023.
4. "After first conference regular season title, SLU Softball prepares for Atlantic-10 tournament". May 9, 2023.
5. "St. Louis Post-Dispatch 01 May 2023, page B2". Newspapers.com.
6. "St. Louis Post-Dispatch 11 May 2023, page B1". Newspapers.com.
7. "St. Louis Post-Dispatch 29 May 1999, page Page 65". Newspapers.com.
8. "Southern Illinoisan 10 Aug 2010, page Page 11". Newspapers.com.
9. "Schutter, Kemp, Rayle Collect Major Softball Student-Athlete Honors, Connoyer Named Coach of the Year". atlantic10.com. June 8, 2023.
10. Durando, Stu (May 10, 2023). "Connoyer has SLU softball atop the A-10 and is seeking more". STLtoday.com.
11. "Fortier, Daubman, Lore & Cozza Headline Atlantic 10 Softball All-Conference Teams". atlantic10.com. May 6, 2014.
12. "2024 Softball Roster". Saint Louis University.
13. "Saint Louis University 2023 Softball Record Book" (PDF). s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com.
14. "SOFTBALL RECORD BOOK THROUGH 2016-17 SEASON (PDF) - Atlantic 10" (PDF). static.atlantic10.com.
15. "2024 C-USA Softball Record Book (PDF) - Conference USA" (PDF). conferenceusa.com.

External links

• Official website