Cowgirls repeat as Southland regular season softball champions

HOUSTON, Texas – McNeese softball took care of business Friday with shutout wins (4-0, 5-0) over Houston Christian to clinch the outright Southland Conference regular season title for the second consecutive year.

The title is also the program’s eighth overall regular season title. McNeese will be the No. 1 seed in next week’s Southland Conference Championship which will be held May 9-12 in Lake Charles and hosted by McNeese.

In the wins a few milestones were achieved. The Cowgirls won its third regular season title and second straight under seventh year head coach James Landreneau. It’s the fourth time McNeese wins 40 games and second time winning 20 SLC games under Landreneau. The game one victory also marked Landreneau’s 250th career win.

Junior pitcher Ashley Vallejo recorded three strikeouts in the game one shutout win, with her last strikeout ending the game and giving her 100 K’s on the year. It’s the second straight year Vallejo records at least 100 strikeouts.

McNeese (40-14, 20-3 SLC) wasted little time in scoring early in both games, taking 3-0 leads in the first inning of each game and then adding runs late to secure the wins while in the circle Vallejo did her job in game one by holding the Huskies to just four hits, one walk to improve to 16-8 overall and 10-1 in league play with the complete game shutout. The shutout is her sixth overall on the season and fourth in conference games.

The Cowgirls picked up six hits in game one and was led by Emily Phillips’ 2 for 3 plate performance with one RBI.

In the nightcap, senior Whitney Tate was just as impressive in the circle, improving to 15-4 on the year and 7-1 in conference play with the complete game victory and her eighth shutout of the season including four in conference play. Tate allowed only four hits, one walk and struck out one.

McNeese picked up 10 hits in the nightcap and was led by senior outfielder Alayis Seneca who was 3 for 3, scored two runs and stole two bases.

The regular season will conclude with a single game at 12 p.m. Saturday.

NOTES
•- McNeese clinched the regular season title for the second straight year and the program’s 8th overall
•- McNeese will be the No. 1 seed in next week’s Southland Conference Championship
•- The two shutout wins gives McNeese 19 on the season and 12 in conference games
•- Ashley Vallejo picked up her 100th strikeout of the season in game one with her third strikeout of the game which ended the game. It’s the second straight year Vallejo records at least 100 strikeouts.
•- With the win, Vallejo improved to 16-8 overall and 10-1 in the SLC. The game one shutout was her sixth of the season and fourth in conference games.
•- Whitney Tate improved to 15-4 on the year and 7-1 in the SLC with the game two shutout win. The shutout is Tate’s eighth of the season and fourth in conference games.
•- The regular season title is the third overall and second straight under seventh year head coach James Landreneau.
•- The wins improves the Cowgirls to 40-14 overall and 20-3 in the SLC.
•- It’s the fourth 40-win season for Landreneau and the second 20-conference win season in six full seasons. In the 2020 Covid year, the Cowgirls were 19-7 before the season was cancelled.
•- Landreneau picked up his 250th career win with the 4-0 game one win