Liberty Softball Opens Season at Northern Lights Tournament
2/10/2022 10:19:55 AM | Softball
Liberty, ranked No. 24 in three major preseason polls, opens its 2022 campaign this weekend at the Northern Lights/Southern Nights Tournament in Leesburg, Fla. Three out of Liberty’s first four opponents are nationally ranked entering the season, in No. 19 (NFCA Coaches Poll) Kentucky, No. 23 (D1Softball.com) Northwestern and No. 9 (Softball America) Missouri."
Liberty's Schedule
Friday, Feb 11
No. 24 Liberty vs. Iowa – 12:30 p.m. Live Video (FloSoftball) | Live Stats
No. 24 Liberty vs. No. 19 Kentucky - 3 p.m. Live Video (FloSoftball) | Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 12
No. 24 Liberty vs. No. 23 Northwestern - 12:30 p.m. Live Video (FloSoftball)
Sunday, Feb. 13
No. 24 Liberty vs. No. 9 Missouri – 1 p.m. Live Video (FloSoftball) | Live Stats
Liberty posted a 44-15 record last season, including 16-2 in ASUN North Division play. Liberty, the No. 1 seed in the North Division won the ASUN Softball Championship.
The Lady Flames tied a program record with three wins over Top 25 opponents last season, giving the team eight wins over nationally-ranked teams in the last four years.
Competing in the NCAA Softball Championship for the fourth time, Liberty made its second appearance in a Regional final. The Lady Flames served as the No. 2 seed for the Knoxville Regional, eliminating Eastern Kentucky and the host No. 9 national seed Tennessee Lady Vols. Liberty fell to Women’s College World Series semifinalist James Madison twice at the Regional.
For the fourth year in a row, Liberty was voted first in the 2022 ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll. Senior Emily Kirby was voted ASUN Preseason Pitcher of the Year, while junior outfielder Kara Canetto was named ASUN Preseason Player of the Year. Senior Lou Allan joins Kirby and Canetto on the ASUN Preseason All-Conference Team.
Liberty returns all of its pitchers from last season, when the Lady Flames led the ASUN and ranked sixth in the nation with 19 shutouts. 2021 ASUN Pitcher of the Year Emily Kirby returns as the ace after going 15-5 with a 1.92 ERA and 145 strikeouts last season. Karlie Keeney, a 2021 ASUN All-Conference second team pitcher, posted a 17-5 record, 2.43 ERA and five shutouts.
The Lady Flames will have to replace six out of their top eight hitters from last season, including twins Amber and Autumn Bishop, who rewrote Liberty’s record books over the last five years. Canetto led Liberty with a .385 batting average, 75 hits and 19 steals last season. Meanwhile, Devyn Howard returns after batting .312 during her first season after transferring from junior college. A pair of impact Power Five transfers (2021 All-Big Ten 1B Lou Allan from Michigan and redshirt freshman Raigan Barrett from Washington) lead a group of 12 incoming players that will look to bolster Liberty’s lineup. Sophomore Caroline Hudson started all 59 games last season at catcher.
