LAKE CHARLES—For the first time in 15 years, McNeese softball will open its season at home. The Cowgirls will welcome Southern Miss to Cowgirl Diamond Thursday night for a single game beginning at 6 p.m.
The first 1,000 fans to purchase a ticket at the gate will receive a Chick-fil-A Digital Be Our Guest Card. The card is good for either a chicken sandwich meal or an 8-count chicken nugget meal.
Alot of excitement has been centered around the reigning 2016 Southland Conference Champions who has one of the top players in the nation in two time All-American
Erika Piancastelli.
The junior from Carlsbad, California has earned several preseason honors and was named the 19
th best player in the country by ESPN on Tuesday. Piancastelli has a host of players around her that make this team what it is and what it can be in 2017.
First year head coach
James Landreneau has 14 letterwinners returning including six starters from a team that won a school record 43 games last year. Five of the six returning starters were named to the Southland Conference preseason team.
In addition to the returnees, Landreneau added six freshmen and transfers
Baylee Corbello (LSU) and
Carleigh Chaumont (Western Kentucky) in the offseason. Both players are local products who played for Sam Houston High.
Southern Miss is coming off a season where the Golden Eagles won the Conference USA West Division and are coming off their first winning season since 2004 with a 30-28 record.
Lauren Holifield, who was named the 2016 C-USA Newcomer of the Year, will lead Southern Miss into the season opener after batting .339 a year ago.
Following Thursday's game, McNeese will travel to Baton Rouge to take part in the LSU Tiger Classic, the first of three regular season tournaments on the Cowgirls schedule.
McNeese will open tournament play against Oklahoma State at 11 a.m. Friday. The Cowgirls will face Penn State at 1:30 later that afternoon. On Saturday, McNeese will play Oklahoma State at 10 a.m. and LSU at 3 p.m. which will be streamed live on SECN+ and the Watch ESPN app. McNeese will conclude tournament play with a 10 a.m. game against Penn State.
The Cowgirls will return home on Wednesday, Feb. 15 to host UL-Monroe at 6 p.
