The McNeese State Cowgirls softball team represents

McNeese State University McNeese State University is a public university in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Founded in 1939 as Lake Charles Junior College, it was renamed McNeese Junior College after John McNeese, an early local educator. The present name was adopted in 1970. ...

, located in

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles (French: ''Lac Charles'') is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcasieu ...

. The Cowgirls are a member of the

Southland Conference The Southland Conference, abbreviated as SLC, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States (specifically Texas and Louisiana). It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it pa ...

and participate in

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

college softball College softball is softball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. College softball is normally played by women at the Intercollegiate level, whereas college baseball is nor ...

. The team is currently led by head coach James Landreneau and plays home games at

Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond is the home stadium for the Division I (NCAA) McNeese State Cowgirls softball team. Located on the campus of McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the stadium has a 1,200 seating capacity. Seati ...

History

The first season for McNeese State Cowgirl softball was 1979. The Cowgirls competed as an independent for the first four seasons. The team won the Louisiana championship two of those seasons (1979, 1981). After softball became an

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

and Southland Conference sponsored sport, the Cowgirls have competed in the conference and at the

Division I (NCAA) NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

level. The Cowgirls have won six Southland Conference regular season championships (1983, 1994 (T), 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) and seven Southland Conference tournament championships (1983, 2005, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021) earning the conference's autobid to the

NCAA Division I softball tournament The NCAA Division I softball tournament is held annually in May/June and features 64 college softball teams in the United States, culminating in the Women's College World Series (WCWS), which is played in Oklahoma City. Tournament play and team ...

in 2005 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2021. The team also competed in the 1994 NCAA tournament as an at-large selection. As of the conclusion of the 2018 season, the Cowgirls have compiled a 1041–1048–4 overall record with an overall conference record of 406–346–3. Erika Piancastelli is McNeese State's first and only All-American. She was named an NFCA All-American in 2016.

Career coaching records

(Records reflect game results through 2021 season.)

Year-by-year results

''Source:''

Post-season appearances

Conference Tournaments

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NCAA Division I tournament results

The Cowgirls have appeared in six NCAA Division I tournaments. Their record is 5–14.
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NISC Tournament results

The Cowgirls have appeared in one NISC tournament. Their record is 3–2.

Awards and honors

''Sources:''

Southland Conference

Coach of the Year

* Scott Eastman 1994 * Natalie Poole 2009 * Mike Smith 2013, 14 * James Landreneau 2017

All Conference First Team

* Tammy Guidry 1983 * Joni Talbot 1987 * Angela Harrison 1994 * Keri Riggs 1994, 95 * Shyla Sicks 1994 * Kerri Chiasson 1995 * Natalie Poole 1995, 96, 97 * Kathy Sturgeon 1995 * Sarah Everingham 1997, 98 * Heather Moreaux 2000 * Tania Zanet 2000 * Beth Jordan 2002, 05 * Stephanie Denham 2003 * Brooke Broadhead 2007 * Jenny Clay 2008 * Claire Terracina 2011, 12 * Ashley Modzelewski 2012, 13, 14 * Meagan Bond 2013 * Alanna DiVittorio 2013, 14 * Jamie Allred 2014 * Erika Piancastelli 2015, 16, 17, 18 * Bryanna Castro 2015 * Lauren Langner 2015 * Hailey Drew 2016 * Morgan Catron 2016, 18 * Emily Vincent 2016 * Alexandria Saldivar 2017, 18 * Justyce McClain 2017, 18, 19 * Rachel Smith 2017

Hitter of the Year

* Kerry Riggs 1994 * Heather Moreaux 2000 * Alanna DiVittorio 2014 * Erika Piancastelli 2015, 16, 17, 18

Newcomer of the Year

* Rikki Fontenot 2002 * Christina Allen 2006 * Erika Piancastelli 2015

Pitcher of the Year

* Angella Harrison 1994 * Jamie Allred 2014 * Rachel Smith 2017

Utility Player of the Year

*Jenny Clay 2007, 08

Player of the Year

* Heather Moreaux 2000 * Alanna DiVittorio 2014 * Erika Piancastelli 2015, 16, 17, 18

References

External links

Official website
{{Southland Conference softball navbox 1979 establishments in Louisiana Sports clubs established in 1979

McNeese State Cowgirls The McNeese Cowboys and Cowgirls are composed of 14 teams representing McNeese State University in intercollegiate athletics, including men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, and track and field. Men's sports include baseball and foot ...