LAKE CHARLES – The McNeese Cowgirl softball coaching staff has been named the South Region Staff of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) as the organization announced its 2023 Division I Regional Coaching Staffs of the Year on Thursday.
 
Led by seventh-year head coach James Landreneau and assisted by associate head coach Shellie Landry and assistant coaches Shelbi Sunseri and Cori McCrary, the Cowgirls posted the most memorable season in program history after winning a school record 47 games (47-16 overall) while coming one out away from advancing to its first NCAA Super Regional.
 
The Cowgirls three-peated as the Southland Conference Tournament champions while winning their second straight regular-season league title.
 
McNeese earned the automatic-bid to the NCAA Tournament where it entered the Seattle Regional as the No. 3 seed. The Cowgirls went 3-2 in the region, defeating Minnesota (5-4 and 1-0) and 7^th-ranked Washington 1-0 to advance to the "if necessary" championship game, the first Southland Conference team to ever do so.
 
As a team, the Cowgirls broke six school season records including the 47 wins to go along with a record 23 shutout victories.
 
The team also placed a conference-high eight players on the All-Southland team while two players, Alayis Seneca and Whitney Tate, were voted onto the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District squad.
 
McNeese was one of 11 schools from around the nations whose coaching staffs were named their respective regions Staff of the Year.
 
Central – University of Oklahoma
Great Lakes – Northwestern University
Mid-Atlantic – George Mason University
Mideast – Miami University (Ohio)
Mideast – Middle Tennessee State University
Midwest – Indiana University
Northeast – Boston University
Pacific – University of Utah
South – McNeese State University
Southeast – University of Tennessee
West – San Diego State University