Who: No. 8 Seed East Texas A&M
When: Thursday, May 1 (3 p.m.)
Where: Lake Charles (Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond)
TV: ESPN+
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
 
LAKE CHARLES— The 2025 Southland Conference regular season champs, McNeese Softball will begin play at the double elimination Southland Softball- Lake Charles Bracket presented by Toyota against No. 8 seed East Texas A&M at 3 p.m., Thursday, May 1 at Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond.  No. 4 seed UIW will face No. 5 seed Lamar at 6 p.m. in the second game of the day.  All tournament games will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
The tournament will run through Sunday, May 4 with games being scheduled for 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.  An, if necessary, game is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday.
 
McNeese (37-18, 23-4 SLC) is making its league high 35^th SLC Tournament and it's the fifth time the Cowgirls host the tournament. 
 
This year's tournament format is a two-bracket play (four teams each) with the top two regular season seeds hosting a bracket.  No. 2 seed Southeastern is hosting the other bracket. 
 
In the Lake Charles bracket along with the Cowgirls, will be No. 4 seed UIW, No. 5 seed Lamar, and No. 8 seed East Texas A&M.
 
The Hammond bracket will consist of No. 3 seed Nicholls, No. 6 seed Stephen F. Austin, and No. 7 seed HCU.
 
The winners of each bracket will play a Championship Series (May 8-10) at the site of the highest remaining seed.
 
McNeese swept the SLC series against East Texas A&M (12-36, 6-21 SLC) two weeks ago in Lake Charles.  The Cowgirls took two of three games at UIW (27-19, 17-10 SLC) at the end of March and dropped the series, 2-1 at Lamar (28-25, 15-12 SLC) in the conference opening weekend in the first week of March.
 
McNEESE TOURNAMENT NOTES
•- making a league high 35th Southland Conference Tournament appearances in 2025.
•- is hosting its fifth SLC Tournament (2009, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2025/Bracket Play)
•- has an overall 60-35 conference tournament record.
•- has missed only two tournaments (1998, 2004) when the tournament was played.
•- has won a league high nine SLC Tournament titles, five under head coach James Landreneau
•- Making its ninth SLC Tournament appearance under head coach James Landreneau.
•- McNeese is the only team in conference history to not only three-peat as tournament champs (2016, 2017, 2018), but to three-peat twice (2021, 2022, 2023)
•- McNeese has won six of the last eight Southland Conference Tournaments played (2020 Covid year.- no tournament)
•- McNeese has a 21-4 overall conference tournament record under head coach James Landreneau
• McNeese has won 12 of its last 14 conference tournament games under coach Landreneau.
•- The Cowgirls have only lost four conference tournament games since 2019 with two coming in the 2024 tournament.
 
SLC SOFTBALL - LAKE CHARLES BRACKET PRESENTED BY TOYOTA
Thursday, May 1
Game 1: No. 1 McNeese vs. No. 8 East Texas A&M, 3 p.m.
Game 2: 4 UIW vs. No. 5 Lamar, 6 p.m.
 
Friday, May 2
Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 3 p.m.
Game 4: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 6 p.m.
 
Saturday, May 3
Game 5: Loser of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 3, 3 p.m.
Game 6: Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5, 6 p.m.
 
Sunday, May 4
Game 5: Loser of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 6 (if nec), 1 p.m.