2026 Southland Conference Championship (Lake Charles Bracket)
Who: #7 Seed Stephen F. Austin
When: Thursday, April 30 (11 a.m.)
Where: Lake Charles (Cowgirl Diamond)
TV: ESPN+
Ticket Info.
Tournament Central
 
 
LAKE CHARLES—  No. 2 seed McNeese softball will open play at the 2026 Southland Conference Championship (Lake Charles Bracket) sponsored by Lake Charles Toyota on Thursday, April 30 against No. 7 seed Stephen F. Austin at 11 a.m. No. 3 seed Nicholls will face No. 6 seed Northwestern State at 2 p.m.   
 
Due to inclement weather expected in the Lake Area this weekend game time changes for Thursday, Friday and Saturday games have been rescheduled for 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day.  Sunday's, if necessary game is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
Southeastern, the regular season champs are hosting No. 4 seed UIW, No. 5 seed Lamar, and No. 8 seed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the other bracket.  The winners of each bracket play will advance for a three-game Championship Series at the higher seed.
 
McNeese earned the No. 2 seed by finishing second in the SLC race with an 18-9 record.  The Cowgirls enter the tournament with a 35-19 overall record and ended the SLC schedule winning its last eight conference games and eight of its last nine regular season games following its road loss at LSU Tuesday night.
 
Stephen F. Austin enters the weekend 29-24 overall and 13-14 in the SLC.  Nicholls comes in with a 29-21 overall record and a 17-10 conference record while NW State is 24-27 overall and 13-14 in the SLC.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, APRIL 30
Game 1: No. 2 McNeese vs. No. 7 SFA (11 a.m.)
Game 2: No. 3 Nicholls vs. No. 6 NW State (2 p.m.)

FRIDAY, MAY 1
Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 (11 a.m.)
Game 4: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 (2 p.m.)

SATURDAY, MAY 2
Game 5: Loser of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 3 (11 a.m.)
Game 6: Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5 (2 p.m.)

SUNDAY, MAY 3
Game 7: Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6 (1 p.m.)/If necessary
 

McNeese 2026 Record vs. The Tournament Field
vs. Nicholls (Nicholls swept McNeese in Thibodaux)
vs. NW State (NW State won 2 of 3 games in Natchitoches)
vs. SFA (McNeese swept in Lake Charles)   
 
McNeese Tournament Notes
• Making its league high 36th Southland Conference Tournament appearances in 2025.
• McNeese has missed only two tournaments (1998, 2004) when the tournament was played.
• Has hosted six SLC Tournament (2009, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2025/Bracket Play & Championship Series), 2026 (Bracket Play)
• Making its ninth SLC Tournament appearance under head coach James Landreneau in 2026.
• Have won a league high nine SLC Tournament titles, five under head coach James Landreneau (2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023).
• Have a 25-6 overall conference tournament record under head coach James Landreneau
• Are 16-4 (since 2021) in its last 20 conference tournament games under coach Landreneau.
• Have won six of the last nine, and three of the last five Southland Conference Tournaments played (2020 Covid year.- no tournament)
• Have lost only four conference tournament games since 2020, two in 2024 and two in 2025.
• Are the only team in conference history to not only three-peat as tournament champions, but to three-peat twice (2016, 2017, 2018), (2021, 2022, 2023)
• Have an overall 66-52 SLC Tournament record.
• Have won 28 of its last 34 SLC Tournament games
• Have won 14 of its last 16 SLC Tournament home games.
• Last SLC Tournament home loss prior to its 2-0 loss to Southeastern on May 9, 2025, was a  2-1 loss to Texas State in the championship game in 2009