LAKE CHARLES-  McNeese softball will step out of conference play for a midweek game at Texas State Wednesday before returning home for seven straight games beginning with a conference series this weekend against Lamar. First pitch in San Marcos, Texas is set for 6 p.m.
 
McNeese (30-14) is coming off a Southland Conference series win at Nicholls last weekend by taking two of three games. After dropping the first game 4-3, the Cowgirls bounced back to win 8-4 and 7-4.  Junior Erika Piancastelli led the Cowgirls at the plate with a .600 batting average and missed hitting for the cycle by a triple in the final game of the series. For that, Piancastelli was named Southland Conference Hitter of the Week.
 
Piancastelli is batting .372, leads the team with 45 hits, 35 RBI, nine homeruns and 42 walks. Justyce McClain lead the team with a .416 batting average and is second with 42 hits while Hailey Drew as scored a team high 42 runs and is tied with Taylor Schmidt with nine doubles.
 
Senior Rachel Smith leads the pitching staff with a 12-6 record, 72 strikeouts and 116 innings pitched. She has the second best ERA on the team at 2.53. Freshman Alexsandra Flores has a team low 1.47 ERA and is 9-3 on the season while Baylee Corbello is 6-3 with a 3.79 ERA.
 
Texas State (31-10) leads the all-time series against McNeese 50-38-1 and has won the last five meetings including 4-3 win in 2015. The last McNeese win against Texas State came in 2011 with a 7-6 Cowgirls victory.
 
Ariel Ortiz leads the Bobcats with a .360 average, 45 hits, 11 doubles, 13 homeruns and 43 RBI. Randi Rupp has handled most of the pitching duties and enters the game with a 20-6 record with a 1.13 ERA in 173.1 innings. Rupp has struck out 216 batters and has given up only 28 earned runs.