BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – With first pitch of the 2022 campaign looming, Shelby Lowe enters her sophomore season with Preseason All-Southeastern Conference honors as the league office unveiled its 15th annual preseason team Monday.
The Preseason All-SEC Softball Team is voted on by the league's head coaches and consists of a minimum of 21 players. No ties are broken.
Lowe was the workhorse of Auburn's pitching staff. The left-hander appeared in 30 contests with 26 starts as a true freshman. The Carrollton, Alabama, native held a 1.48 ERA and posted 13 wins and a save. She fanned 179 batters and showed command of the strike zone with just 28 walks. Three of her 15 complete-game efforts were shutouts. Lowe finished second in the league with a 6.39 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 1.18 walks allowed per seven innings mark.
Just the fifth freshman in school history to surpass 100 strikeouts in the season, Lowe closed her freshman campaign 10th in Auburn single-season history for total strikeouts, recording the most by any Auburn pitcher since 2010.
The only Auburn freshman pitcher to ever earn All-SEC honors with her second team selection in 2021, Lowe was also awarded SEC All-Freshman Team and NFCA All-Southeast Region Third Team accolades. Her impressive debut season earned her a spot as one of 15 finalists for Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year.
Last month, Lowe was tabbed No. 16 player in the league in DI Softball's Preseason SEC Player Rankings. She was also selected as one of the top 100 players in the country with a No. 82 ranking on Extra Innning Softball's Extra Elite 100.
Auburn opens its 2022 season by hosting the Tiger Invitational at Jane B. Moore Field. The Tigers will kick off tournament action on Friday, Feb. 11 against Seton Hall at 2:30 p.m. CT.