Hall of Fame
ERIKA PIANCASTELLI | SOFTBALL | 2015-2018
The greatest softball player to play at McNeese and arguably the best-ever in the Southland Conference, Piancastelli rewrote the McNeese and Southland Conference record books, combining to break 24 total records. A two-time NFCA All-American in 2015 and 2016, she's the first player from McNeese to earn All-American honors. She was also a four-time NFCA All-Region recipient and became the first player in conference history to be named the league's Player of the Year all four seasons. In addition, she was named the league's Hitter of the Year all four years, was a four-time first team All-Louisiana selection, the 2015 SLC Freshman of the Year, 2018 Louisiana Hitter of the Year, a four-time McNeese Female Athlete of the Year, SLC Tournament MVP in 2016 and 2017), and a three-time SLC Student-Athlete of the Year (2016, 2017, 2018). She helped lead the Cowgirls to conference regular season championships in 2016 and 2017, and SLC Tournament titles and NCAA Tournament appearances three straight years from 2016-2018 when the Cowgirls became the first team in conference history to three-peat as tournament champions. In her career, McNeese compiled a remarkable 163-73 overall record that included three straight 40-win seasons. The Cowgirls also posted a league record of 86-21. Her career portfolio included breaking 15 career records (10 McNeese, 5 Southland) and nine single-season records (7 McNeese, 2 Southland). She ended her collegiate career with a .401 batting average, 75 home runs, 212 RBIs, 62 doubles, 228 runs scored, 229 walks, 548 total bases, .868 slugging percentage, .561 on-base percentage, and 15 intentional walks - all school records. Her career home runs, RBIs, runs scored, walks and total bases are still Southland Conference career records while her doubles number is tied for a league record. She's one of the elite NCAA Division I softball hitters to amass a .400 batting average, 200 RBI, 75 home runs and an .800 slugging percentage in a career. Her career walks and slugging percentage currently ranks seventh in the NCAA record book. After McNeese, she's been a member of the Italian National Team since 2016 and competed in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 for Team Italy, helping lead her team to a sixth-place finish. She's played professionally since 2018 and is currently a member of the Volts of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League where she was drafted as the 29th overall pick in the 2025 inaugural draft.
