BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In advance of the 2022 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) season, Alabama A&M softball earned four selections on the league's preseason teams as announced by the league on Tuesday, February 1.
 
The four overall selections tie for the second most of any program, trailing only Texas Southern's five and equaling Jackson State.
 
Sophomore pitcher and designated player Esperanza Coe (Beaumont, Calif.) notched First-Team honors at both positions while junior third baseman Taylor Woods (Decatur, Ala.) and senior pitcher Alyssa Lopez (San Leandro, Calif.) earned Second-Team recognition at their respective positions.
 
ESPERANZA COE – FIRST-TEAM – PITCHER/DESIGNATED PLAYER
Coe delivered an impressive first collegiate campaign from both sides of the plate as one of the top young players in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
 
This past season she earned league weekly honors a total of five times, three times as the Player of the Week and twice as the Pitcher of the Week, including a sweep of both awards on April 7. She earned her other pitching recognition on March 25 and hitting honors on April 1 and 24.
 
On the year she was highly productive while starting all 29 games she played in, hitting .314 (27-of-86) with four doubles, five homeruns, 17 RBIs and 11 runs, all while not even appearing in the SWAC Top-10 for number of at bats.
 
She was also one of the most prolific pitchers, going 9-9 in the circle while posting a 4.98 earned run average to go with 18 complete games, one shutout, 86 strikeouts and just 28 free passes in 121 innings.
 
In terms of league marks, she led the way with 36 strikeouts looking, was tied for third with the most wins, was third in strikeouts and fourth in innings and opposing batting average (.278). At the plate she was also fifth in slugging (.535) and tied for second with her five long balls.
 
Individually, she struck out at least four batters in a game 13 times, including a career-high seven at Alabama State (2/19) and at Jackson State  (4/18). She also allowed one or fewer walks 13 times, including five games without a free pass.
 
At the plate she belted homeruns in four of five games from March 20 through April 2, including career-bests of two with five RBIs at Prairie View (3/27). A consistent performer, Coe had 11 games with at least one RBI and nine with at least two hits.
 
Among her performances was a 2-for-4 day at Alcorn State (4/2) that saw her drive in two, score a personal best three times and swipe her first career base.
 
TAYLOR WOODS – SECOND-TEAM – THIRD BASE
Junior third baseman Taylor Woods (Decatur, Ala.) started all 30 games while delivering team-highs of 18 runs and nine walks while notching 20 hits, a double, two triples and a homerun with nine RBIs.
 
She also took one for the team seven times to tie for the club lead in hit by pitch, had two sacrifice flies and was 8-for-9 on the basepaths.
 
Individually, she had five games with at least two hits, headlined by a pair of three-hit days. One of those was a 3-for-4 day that saw her score a pair of runs, drive in another and swipe a bag at Alcorn State (4/2) while she was 3-for-3 with a run scored at Jackson State (4/18).
 
Woods also had a homerun and two RBIs at Prairie View A&M (3/26) and was 2-for-2 on the bases and 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs and a run scored at Alabama State (2/19). She also swiped a bag in three of her last four games.
 
In terms of Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) rankings, Woods tied for third in triples, tied for fourth in hit by pitch and fourth in sacrifice flies (2).
 
ALYSSA LOPEZ – SECOND-TEAM – PITCHER
Senior pitcher and outfielder Alyssa Lopez (San Leandro, Calif.) started 27 games in the field and made 10 starts in the circle.
 
As a pitcher she was just off the team lead with a 3.89 earned run average in 10 games and starts, posting eight complete games and a 2-8 record in 54.0 innings. She picked up wins against Tuskegee (3/13) and Mississippi Valley State (5/1), striking out a season-high five in the latter while allowing just one run.
 
Overall she posted a .215 batting average (14-of-65) with 12 runs, three doubles, a triple, eight RBIs, six walks, a hit by pitch and a sacrifice fly.
 
Individually, she delivered a five-game hit streak from April 23 through May 1 and went 1-for-2 with a double, hit by pitch, two RBIs and two runs scored against Tuskegee (3/13). She also was 2-for-3 with a triple and RBI at Jackson State (4/18) and 1-for-3 with a run and pair of RBIs against Alabama State (4/23).
 
Additionally, she was perfect in the field, committing no errors between the outfield and pitching circle, recording 41 putouts and 30 assists.
 
In addition to announcing the 2022 SWAC Preseason Softball Teams, the league will release the preseason rankings on Wednesday, February 2.
 
2022 All-Southwestern Athletic Conference Preseason Teams
First-Team
C Isabel Gusman, Jackson State
1B Alexis Arredondo, Jackson State
2B Jaeda Gardner, Alabama State
SS Zoey Keyes, Jackson State
3B Amari Ramsey, Alcorn State
OF Madison Myers, Alabama State
OF Monica Serrano, Jackson State
OF Tevanae Tate, Texas Southern
P Naomi Reyes, Texas Southern
P Esperanza Coe, Alabama A&M
P Payton Shells, Grambling State
DP Esperanza Coe, Alabama A&M
 
Second-Team
C Daryn Haslem, Texas Southern
1B Alex Massie, Alabama State
2B India Wells, Grambling State
SS Brianna Alston, Mississippi Valley State
3B Taylor Woods, Alabama A&M
OF Natalie McLennan, Prairie View A&M
OF Crimson Davis, Texas Southern
OF Cameron Andrews, Southern
P Mya Hall, Prairie View A&M
P Alyssa Lopez, Alabama A&M
P Jazmine Gendorf, Texas Southern 
DP Marsha Hunt, Alcorn State
 
Preseason Player of the Year
Amari Ramsey, Alcorn State
 
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Naomi Reyes, Texas Southern