Lady Demons Favored to Win 2016 Southland Conference Softball Title

1/27/2016 2:21:08 PM

Southland Conference

FRISCO, Texas – Northwestern State was tabbed by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors to win the Southland regular-season softball title, the conference office announced Wednesday.

Northwestern State received all 121 possible points in the coaches’ poll and 120 points in the SID poll to claim the top spot. The Lady Demons, who have claimed five regular-season championships and five tournament championships, received 11 possible first-place votes from the coaches and ten from the SIDs. Northwestern State returns 19 letterwinners, including nine starters and five pitchers. The Lady Demons are returning three all-conference selections from a season ago, including junior first baseman Brittney Jones and sophomore pitchers Mikayla Brown and Micaela Bouvier. Last season, Brown was named Southland Pitcher of the Year while head coach Donald Pickett was named Southland Coach of the Year. The Lady Demons fought their way to a 22-3 record in league play and the 2015 regular-season title.

McNeese State finished second in the coaches’ and SID polls with 109 points and 111 points, respectively. The Cowgirls received two first-place votes from the SIDs. McNeese has won four regular-season championships and three tournament titles. The Cowgirls return 14 letterwinners, including eight starters and four pitchers. Three all-conference selections from last year will return for the Cowgirls, including sophomore catcher Erika Piancastelli and pitchers Rachel Smith, a junior, and Emily Vincent, a senior. Last season, Piancastelli was named player, hitter, and freshman of the year as the Cowgirls finished second with a 21-5 conference record.

Central Arkansas was picked third in both polls and received one first-place vote in the coaches. The Sugar Bears received 95 points from the coaches and 92 from the SIDs. Central Arkansas finished third in league play last season with a 16-8 record. The defending tournament champions return nine letterwinners, seven starters and two pitchers. They will be led by three returning all-conference seniors in second baseman Sarah Bigej, third baseman Sam Forest, and catcher Jessie Taylor.

The coaches tabbed Lamar fourth, followed by Southeastern Louisiana in fifth and Abilene Christian sixth while the SIDs had Lamar and Southeastern Louisiana tied for fourth and Abilene Christian sixth. The coaches had Nicholls and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi tied for seventh while the SIDs chose A&M-Corpus Christi seventh and Nicholls eighth. Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State rounded out the top 10 in both polls with Houston Baptist taking 11th and UIW 12th, respectively.

Since both Abilene Christian and UIW are in their third year of transition into Division I, they will not be eligible for postseason play until 2017-2018.

Southland teams open the season Thursday, Feb. 11 with conference play beginning Friday, March 11. The 2016 Southland Conference Softball Tournament will be hosted by McNeese in Lake Charles, La., May 11-13 at the Cowgirl Diamond. The championship round will air live exclusively on ESPN3, available at watchespn.com and the ESPN app. In addition, all other games of the tournament will be streamed live on the Southland Conference Digital Network, available via southland.org/watch and the Southland Conference app.

2016 Preseason Southland Softball Polls

Coaches Poll (First Place Votes)

1.	Northwestern State (11)	121
2.	McNeese State	109
3.	Central Arkansas (1)	95
4.	Lamar	93
5.	Southeastern La.	76
6.	Abilene Christian	59
T-7.	Nicholls	56
T-7.	A&M-Corpus Christi	56
9.	Stephen. F. Austin	51
10.	Sam Houston State	42
11.	Houston Baptist	22
12.	Incarnate Word	12

SID Poll

1.	Northwestern State (10)	120
2.	McNeese State (2)	111
3.	Central Arkansas	92
T-4.	Lamar	80
T-4.	Southeastern La.	80
6.	Abilene Christian	62
7.	A&M-Corpus Christi	60
8.	Nicholls	52
9.	Stephen. F. Austin	51
10.	Sam Houston State	45
11.	Houston Baptist	24
12.	Incarnate Word	15