The 2022 ASUN Championship field is set to begin on Tuesday as eight teams have advanced and will be looking to earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. As the No. 1 seed this week, the Lady Flames received a double bye and are scheduled to begin play Thursday afternoon and will be looking to repeat as conference champions.
Liberty finished the regular season with a 40-16 overall record and 23-1 mark in the ASUN. The Lady Flames had won 36 straight ASUN regular season games, a streak that started on April 3, 2021, prior to their loss on Friday to Stetson in the regular season finale. Liberty set the record for most ASUN wins in a single season in conference history with 23, surpassing the 22 wins USC Upstate had in 2014 when they finished 22-2.
Dot Richardson was named ASUN Coach of the Year on Monday, the second straight year she has earned that honor. She has now been named conference coach of the year a program-record four times, as she was voted Big South Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2018 as well.
Sophomore catcher Caroline Hudson was named ASUN Player of the Year and ASUN Defensive Player of the Year. Senior Emily Kirby received ASUN Pitcher of the Year honors for the second straight year, and sophomore pitcher Karlie Keeney was named ASUN-Scholar Athlete of the Year.
The Lady Flames placed a program-record-tying nine players on the ASUN All-Conference teams, including a league-best and program-record five on the first team. Liberty’s All-ASUN first-team selections were seniors Lou Allan (Utility) and Emily Kirby (P), juniors Kara Canetto (OF) and Devyn Howard (INF), and sophomore Caroline Hudson (C).
The Lady Flames were represented on the all-conference second team by sophomores Karlie Keeney (P) and Mary Claire Wilson (OF) and freshmen Paige Bachman (INF) and Rachel Roupe (OF). In addition to their all-conference second team honors, Bachman and Roupe were both voted to the All-Freshman Team along with Raigan Barrett.
This week’s ASUN Tournament will be played in Jacksonville. Eight teams have advanced to this week’s championship. The championship game is scheduled for May 14.
Below is the full schedule for this week’s ASUN Tournament, all games are streamed on ESPN+:
Tuesday, May 10
Game 1: (#6) Kennesaw State vs. (#7) Stetson, 3 p.m.
Game 2: (#5) Jacksonville State vs. (#8) Lipscomb, 3 p.m.
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. (#3) North Florida, 3 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 2 vs. (#4) North Alabama, 3 p.m.
Thursday, May 12
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. (#2) Central Arkansas, 10 a.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. (#1) Liberty, 12:30 p.m.
Game 7: Loser Game 3 vs Loser Game 4, 3 p.m.
Game 8: Loser Game 5 vs Loser Game 6, 5:30 p.m.
Friday, May 13
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs Winner Game 6, 12:30 p.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs Winner Game 8, 3 p.m.
Game 11: Loser Game 9 vs Winner Game 10, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 14
Game 12: Winner Game 9 vs Winner Game 11, 1 p.m.
Game 13: If necessary
