The McNeese State softball team will cap off another championship season this weekend when it travels to Hammond for its final Southland Conference series of the season against Southeastern Louisiana.
The Cowgirls (36-13, 21-3 SLC) clinched the SLC regular-season championship last weekend with a sweep of Stephen F. Austin.
“Right now we’re excited as we move forward and get ready for Southeastern,” said McNeese head coach James Landreneau. “We know this is a series for us to work out some kinks and get better. There’s a lot to play for. It’s not just about championships. It’s about us getting better for the right time.”
The series against the Lions (26-26, 13-13) begins at 5 p.m. today and will conclude with a doubleheader at noon Saturday.
The Cowgirls got a rare week off after their series with SFA, as they played no midweek game between conference series.
The respite couldn’t have come at a better time, Landreneau said, as it allowed the Cowgirls to focus on final exams.
“It’s nice for the girls not to be stressed out or have to get on the road to travel somewhere,” Landreneau said. “It’s nice to get on the road, wrap up some finals and get a little studying done.”
Southeastern will be fighting for a spot in the tournament.
The Lions are coming off a weekend sweep of Sam Houston State, and they are tied with Central Arkansas for fifth place in the league.
With the Bearkats and Northwestern State a game behind, Southeastern has little room for error if it wants to earn a spot in the six-team conference tournament.
“We know we’re going to play a really good Southeastern team,” Landreneau said. “They’re fighting for conference life right now. They’re well coached and they’re playing well.”
McNeese’s go-to trio of pitchers made up of seniors Rachel Smith (14-7, 2.51 ERA) and Baylee Corbello (9-3, 3.26) and freshman Alexsandra Flores (10-4, 1.63) go into the series with a combined 2.60 ERA. Smith leads the team in wins, while Flores has a league-low 0.83 ERA against SLC opponents.
Sophomore outfielder and leadoff hitter Justyce McClain’s .427 hitting clip is the highest in the league, while Erika Piancastelli leads the league in on-base percentage (.551), runs scored (47), and walks (54).
Southeastern’s Kinsey Nichols sits right behind Piancastelli with an on-base percentage of .508 with a batting average of .406, second best in the conference.
“I’m excited to get some quality work in,” Landreneau said. “Then it’s a quick turnaround, because we’ll be on a bus to Conway, Arkansas (for the SLC tournament) on Tuesday.”
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