2016 Southland Softball Season Begins Thursday
Southland Conference
Weekly Release (PDF)
FRISCO, Texas – The Southland Conference begins its 34th season of softball Thursday followed by a full weekend of competition as all 12 league teams will play at least four games through three days. UIW will be the first team to step on to the diamond this weekend when it faces Texas-El Paso in a 3 p.m. doubleheader in El Paso, Texas.
This weekend, all 12 Southland teams will open the season competing in seven different season-opening tournaments. Northwestern State and Abilene Christian will be competing in Texas State’s CenturyLink Classic in San Marcos, Texas, while Stephen F. Austin takes part in the Louisiana-Monroe Mardi Gras Tournament. UIW will be attending the New Mexico State Tournament in Las Cruces, N.M., while Central Arkansas and Houston Baptist will play in the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores, Ala. Lamar will travel the furthest to take part in the University of Nevada Las Vegas Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi will host Sam Houston State at the Islander Invitational while Southeastern Louisiana will host Nicholls in the Lion Classic. McNeese State will play ULM in Monroe, La. then a three-game series against No. 16/18 Baylor in Waco, Texas.
After UIW takes on UTEP in their doubleheader, McNeese will play ULM at 6 p.m. on Thursday. The following day, Abilene Christian and Northwestern will take on DePaul at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., respectively. Sam Houston and SFA follow at 11 a.m. as the Bearkats take on Louisville and the Ladyjacks take on Seton Hall. UCA will take on Samford and HBU will play Jackson State, both at noon. Nicholls will play Southern Illinois at 1 p.m. while the Islanders take on Iowa at 3 p.m. The Lady Lions play Buffalo (3:30 p.m.) and the Lady Cardinals play Syracuse (3:45 p.m.) to close out the first day of tournament play.
Thursday through Sunday features 54 games scheduled.
Northwestern State Favored to Win 2016 Southland Title
Northwestern State was tabbed by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors to win the Southland regular-season softball title. Northwestern State received 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 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.
Two Southland Award Winners Featured for 2016 Season
McNeese State sophomore catcher Erika Piancastelli, the 2015 Southland Conference Player of the Year and NFCA All-American, and Northwestern State sophomore pitcher Mikayla Brown, last season’s pitcher of the year, highlight a talented list of returning players on the 2016 preseason all-conference softball teams. Piancastelli had a great start to her collegiate career, becoming the first Southland softball player to earn player, hitter, and freshman of the year honors. She is Southland’s first All-American since 2003. The Carlsbad, Calif., native was a top-10 finalist for National Freshman of the Year. Piancastelli tallied a total of 18 home runs on the year, 12 of which came in conference games, breaking the McNeese single-season home run record. Piancastelli scored a total of 49 runs on the season while racking up a total of 54 RBI in 53 games played. Last season, Piancastelli hit .431 while owning a slugging percentage of .915 and an on base percentage of .542. Brown became the second Northwestern State player to be chosen as pitcher of the year, joining Cindy Leggett who earned the award in 1999. The native of Deville, La., led the league with an earned run average of 1.17 as she compiled an 11-2 record in 84.0 innings pitched. Holding opponents to a .175 batting average, Brown recorded three shutouts last year and struck out a total of 57 batters. In conference play, the right-hander held a 1.08 ERA and went 10-2 from the circle in 71.0 innings pitched.
Northwestern State Leads Preseason Teams With Four First-Team All-Conference Selections
A total of 20 all-conference selections from a year ago return to appear on the preseason teams. Northwestern State leads with four returning first-team all-conference selections:
Northwestern State (4) – Brittney Jones (1B), Kellye Kincannon (OF), Mikayla Brown (P), Micaela Bouvier (P)
Abilene Christian (3) – Peyton Hedrick (SS), Alyson Bishoff (UT), Taylor Brown (OF)
Central Arkansas (2) – Sarah Bigej (2B), Sam Forrest (3B)
McNeese State (1) – Erika Piancastelli (C)
Southeastern La. (1) – Katie Lacour (OF)
Stephen F. Austin (1) – Brittany Lewis (DP)
Southland Faces Eight NFCA /USA Softball Top 25 Teams
Nine Southland programs will face eight teams that appear on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association/USA Softball preseason top-25 poll. Eighteen contests will be played against teams that appear on the list. Thursday through Sunday will feature four matchups against top-25 teams as Lamar faces No. 9/9 Oklahoma, Central Arkansas plays No. 25/NR South Alabama, and McNeese goes up against No. 16/18 Baylor twice. The following weekend, the Ladyjacks will play the nation’s best team when they take on No. 1/1 Florida in Orlando, Fla., and No. 12/13 Georgia the following day. McNeese will also play a top-five team later in the season when they travel to Baton Rouge, La., to take on the No. 3/4 LSU Tigers.
Feb. 13 –
Lamar vs. No. 9/9 Oklahoma, 11:15 a.m.
Feb. 13 –
McNeese State at No. 16/18 Baylor, 2 p.m.
Feb. 13 –
Central Arkansas vs. No. 25/NR South Alabama, 6 p.m.
Feb. 14 –
McNeese State at No. 16/18 Baylor, 1 p.m.
Feb. 19 –
Northwestern State at No. 16/18 Baylor, 3 p.m.
Feb. 19 –
Stephen F. Austin vs. No. 1/1 Florida, 4:45 p.m.
Feb. 20 –
Stephen F. Austin vs. No. 12/13 Georgia, 12:15 p.m.
Feb. 20 –
Central Arkansas vs. No. 6/7 Oregon, 5 p.m.
Feb. 21 –
Central Arkansas vs. No. 6/7 Oregon, 10 a.m.
Feb. 24 – No. 16 Baylor at
Sam Houston State, 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 26 –
Southeastern La. vs. No 16/18 Baylor, 5 p.m.
Feb. 28 –
Nicholls vs. No. 16/18 Baylor, 10 a.m.
Mar. 30 –
McNeese State at No. 25/NR South Alabama, 6 p.m.
April 5 –
Lamar at No. 16/18 Baylor, 4 p.m.
April 13 –
Nicholls at No. 25/NR South Alabama, 6 p.m.
April 20 – No. 11/11 La.-Lafayette at
McNeese State, 6 p.m.
April 26 –
McNeese State at No. 3/4 LSU, 6 p.m.
April 27 – No. 16/18 Baylor at
Abilene Christian, 6 p.m.
Southland Softball Tournament Moves to Lake Charles, La.
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 State 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.
2015 Season Recap
Northwestern State softball pitcher Mikayla Brown led Northwestern State to its first Southland Conference regular-season championship since 2000, with a 3-0 victory against Southeastern Louisiana during the first game of the final series of the regular season. The Lady Demons fought their way to a 22-3 conference record and the No. 1 seed to the Southland tournament. No. 3 seed Central Arkansas swept through the Southland Conference Softball Tournament and won its first-ever softball title with a 4-2 win over No. 1 seed Northwestern State. The Bears claimed the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where they lost in the NCAA Regionals to Oklahoma (8-0) and Lehigh (3-0).