LAKE CHARLES—McNeese softball, the two-time defending Southland Conference Tournament Champions, will look to three-peat as tournament champions for the second time in conference tournament history when the No. 1 seed Cowgirls begin play against No. 5 seed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (24-22) at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 10 at Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond. The Islanders defeated No. 4 Lamar by a 3-2 score in Tuesday's tournament opener. 
 
McNeese (41-14) earned the tournament's top seed and a first-round bye after defending its regular season title with a 21-3 conference record.
 
McNeese will make its league-record 33^rd conference tournament appearance and is serving as the tournament host for the fourth time (2009, 2016, 2018).  As a program, McNeese has missed only two conference tournaments (1998, 2004).
 
In six full seasons under seventh year head coach James Landreneau, the Cowgirls haven't missed a tournament as they carry a 16-2 tournament record, having won the last seven outings under his guidance.  The last McNeese tournament loss was a 10-4 loss to No. 2 seed Nicholls on May 9 in Natchitoches.
 
During the regular season, McNeese capped its regular season home schedule with a sweep over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi April 28-29. McNeese posted a 22-6 record at home this season including wins over No. 5 Washington and No. 14 LSU. The Cowgirls won a remarkable 11 of 12 conference games on their home turf.
 
First team All-SLC outfielder leads the Cowgirl offense with a .370 average, 57 hits, and is tied for a team high 22 stolen bases.
 
All-SLC pitchers Whitney Tate and Ashley Vallejo anchor the pitching staff.  Tate (15-4), a first team All-SLC selection has a staff low 1.49 ERA and eight shutouts while Valle, a second team All-SLC pick leads the staff in wins (16-8), strikeouts with 100 and has a 2.23 ERA.
 
Tickets for the tournament can be purchase at the game and fans are reminded there is a clear bag policy.