LAKE CHALRES—No. 3 seed McNeese softball will make its 29^th overall Southland Conference Tournament appearance when the Cowgirls open tournament play against the winner of the no. 6 seed Abilene Christian/no. 7 seed Northwestern State game at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night, May 8 at Joe Miller Field.
 
The tournament will kick off at 11 a.m. with no. 5 seed Central Arkansas taking on no. 8 seed Sam Houston State at 11 a.m. That game will be followed by the ACU/NW State game at 1:30 p.m. No. 4 seed Southeastern La. will take on the winner of the UCA/SHSU game at 4 p.m. The first two games of the tournament are single elimination while the remaining games will be double elimination.
 
Tickets for the tournament can be purchased online at mcneesesports.com or at the main entrance to the field.
 
Ticket prices are $25 (adult) and $10 (child/ages 5-12) for an all-tournament pass and a one-day pass is $10 (adult) and $5 for a child. Children under the age of 4 will be admitted free. Any student from any Southland Conference university will be admitted with a university ID.
 
Games 1-11 will be streamed live on the Southland Digital Network with Richard Dow, Bruce Merchant and Tony Taglavore sharing play-by-play duties. The games will be available via southland.org/live and Southland Conference apps. Live stats will also be provided throughout the tournament.
 
McNeese (36-19, 18-9), Southeastern Louisiana and Stephen F. Austin all ended the regular season in a three-way tie but by virtue of the tiebreaker, McNeese earned the third seed and Southeastern La. earned the fourth seed. Nicholls, the regular season champion and second place SFA earned a first round bye and will play their first game on Wednesday.
 
The Cowgirls will look to capture their sixth overall SLC Tournament title and third straight after winning it in Lake Charles in 2016 and Conway, Arkansas last year.
 
During the regular season, McNeese took two of three games against Northwestern State in Natchitoches at the end of March. McNeese won the first game 5-3, dropped the second 6-2 before claiming the series with a 5-1 rubber game victory.
 
McNeese didn't play ACU this season and last played the Wildcats in 2016. McNeese took two of three games in Lake Charles, dropping the first game 4-2 before taking the next two 4-3 (10) and 5-1 to claim the series.
 
The Cowgirls will be led by four-time Southland Conference Player and Hitter of the Year Erika Piancastelli who leads the team with 21 home runs, 18 doubles, 56 hits, and 53 walks.
First team all-conference outfielder Justyce McClain leads the Cowgirls with a .419 batting average and 25 stolen bases.
 
First team All-SLC first baseman Morgan Catron heads into the tournament with a .312 batting average and is second on the team with 12 home runs, 47 RBI, and 31 walks.
 
The Cowgirls' pitching staff is led by All-SLC honorable mention selection Alexsandra Flores. Flores is 16-9 on the year with a 2.95 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 147.1 innings.