Preparing for the 2024 Season With a Look Back at 2023 (Southland, SWAC, Sun Belt, Summit, West Coast, WAC)

The start of the softball season at the Division I level is just over two months away.

Extra Inning Softball is providing a look forward to the 2024 season by first providing a final look back on the 2023 season.

This is the fifth of a five-part series featuring the Southland Conference, Southwestern Athletic Conference, Sun Belt Conference, Summit League, West Coast Conference and the Western Athletic Conference.

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Southland Conference

2023 Standings

First Team All-Southland Conference: Lexi Johnson (Southeastern), Erin Krause (Nicholls), Kaydee Bennett (Texas A&M-Commerce), Haylie Savage (HCU), Bailey Krolczyk (Southeastern), Chloe Gomez (McNeese), Audrey Greely (Southeastern), Alayis Seneca (McNeese), Alexa Poche’ (Nicholls), AB Garcia (HCU), Primrose Aholelei (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi), Whitney Tate (McNeese)

Southland Conference Tournament
Game 1 – No. 5 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3, No. 4 Lamar 2
Game 2 – No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana 7, No. 7 Houston Christian 1
Game 3 – No. 6 Northwestern State 8, No. 3 Nicholls 2 (8)
Game 4 – No. 1 McNeese 2, No. 5 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 1
Game 5 – No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana 13, No. 6 Northwestern State 1
Game 6 – No. 3 Nicholls 2, No. 7 Houston Christian 1
Game 7 – No. 4. Lamar 5, No. 6 Northwestern State 4
Game 8 – No. 3 Nicholls 1, No. 5 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0
Game 9 – No. 1 McNeese 6, No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana 2
Game 10 – No. 4 Lamar 5, No. 3 Nicholls 4
Game 11 – No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana 8, No. 4 Lamar 0
Game 12 – No. 1 McNeese 1, No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana 0 (8)

LAKE CHARLES, La. – McNeese’s Reese Reyna hit a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Cowgirls a 1-0 victory over the Southeastern Louisiana University softball team in the Southland Conference Tournament championship game Saturday afternoon at Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond.

Southeastern fell to 47-14 overall with the loss, while the top-seeded Cowgirls improved to 44-14 overall. The NCAA Tournament field will be announced Sunday at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.

The Lady Lions out-hit the Cowgirls, 7-2, but it was Reyna’s big fly that provided the difference. Madison Rayner led Southeastern with a pair of hits, while KaLyn Watson, Maria Detillier, Bailey Krolezyk, Lexi Johnson and Maddie Watson each had hits for SLU.

KK Ladner (15-2) saw her streak of 14 straight decisions come to an end, despite one of her best efforts of the season. Ladner scattered two hits, walked three and struck out five in the complete-game effort.

Ladner represented the Lady Lions on the Southland Conference All-Tournament team, along with fellow senior Rayner, Johnson, KaLyn Watson and Audrey Greely.

Southeastern put base runners on against the Lady Lions in six of seven innings, but could never get the key base hit against the McNeese pitching duo of Whitney Tate and Ashley Vallejo (18-8).

Ladner retired the Cowgirls in order in four different innings and didn’t allow her first hit until the bottom of the fifth inning. After retiring the first two Cowgirls in the bottom of the eighth inning, Ladner saw Reyna hit a 1-0 pitch just inside the left field foul pole to give McNeese its latest victory.

The 2023 Lady Lions have enjoyed another record-breaking season under eight-year head coach Rick Fremin. SLU set new team single-season school records for wins (47), conference wins (19), winning percentage (.770), fewest losses (14), runs (353), triples (23), RBI (305), total bases (742), sacrifice flies (20), walks (184), innings pitched (399.2), strikeouts (350) and shutouts (13). Krolczyk, the first Lady Lion to be named SLC Player and Hitter of the Year, set new individual school-marks for longest hitting streak (22), extra-base hits (29) and total bases (117).

NCAA Postseason Team(s): McNeese

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Southwestern Athletic Conference

2023 Standings

First Team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference: Biviana Figueroa (Prairie View A&M), Venice Sanders (Alabama A&M), Jaeda Gardner (Alabama State), Cadashia Collins (Grambling State), Serena Herbranson (Alabama A&M), Kindall DeRamus (Alabama State), Jania Davis (Florida A&M), MelKayla Irvis (Florida A&M), Bailey Greenlee (Alabama State), Halyne Gonzalez (Bethune-Cookman), Cailin Massey (Prairie View A&M), Madison Myers (Alabama State)

Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament
Game 1 – (E2) Bethune-Cookman 6, (W3) Texas Southern 0
Game 2 – (W2) Grambling State 3, (E3) Florida A&M 1
Game 3 – (W1) Prairie View A&M 2, (E4) Jackson State 1
Game 4 – (E1) Alabama State 1, (W4) Alcorn State 0
Game 5 – (W3) Texas Southern 3, (E4) Jackson State 2
Game 6 – (W4) Alcorn State 9, (E3) Florida A&M 5
Game 7 – (W1) Prairie View A&M 6, (E2) Bethune-Cookman 1
Game 8 – (W2) Grambling State 4, (E1) Alabama State 0
Game 9 – (E2) Bethune-Cookman 2, (W3) Texas Southern 0
Game 10 – (W4) Alcorn State 6, (E1) Alabama State 5
Game 11 – (W1) Prairie View A&M 5, (W2) Grambling State 2
Game 12 – (W4) Alcorn State 1, (E2) Bethune-Cookman 0
Game 13 – (W2) Grambling State 6, (W4) Alcorn State 5
Game 14 – (W1) Prairie View A&M 8, (W2) Grambling State 7

GULFPORT, Miss.- The Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers rallied to score one in the seventh inning and walked it off on a single off the bat of junior Destinee Smith to pick up the 8-7 victory over the Grambling Lady Tigers Friday.  PVAMU advanced through the 2023 SWAC Softball Tournament undefeated.

The win marked back-to-back tournament titles for Prairie View A&M.

Junior Jerrica Rojas (11-2) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Prairie View A&M (27-18). The right-hander went one shutout inning while giving up one hit.

Sophomore Aerin Talley led the way offensively for the Lady Panthers, going 1-for-3 in the ballgame with a home run, a walk, and four RBI. Grambling State’s Lauren Ervin and Cadashia Collins paced the GSU offenisive attack with 2 RBI each.

Freshman Mia Nunez provided a noteworthy performance as well, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Smith also chipped in, going 1-for-2 for Prairie View A&M with two walks and an RBI.

The Lady Panthers got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Prairie View A&M got a grand slam from Talley scoring all four of their runs in the inning.

Prairie View A&M then rallied to score seven runs and take a 7-4 lead before the Lady Panthers got back on the board in the sixth. which brought the score to 7-7.

NCAA Postseason Team(s): Prairie View A&M

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Sun Belt Conference

2023 Standings

First Team All-Sun Belt Conference: Olivia Lackie (South Alabama), Sydney Nester (Marshall), Hannah Shifflett (James Madison), KK Mathis (James Madison), Sydney Bickel (Marshall), Meredith Keel (South Alabama), Autumn Owen (Marshall), Iyanla De Jesus (Coastal Carolina), Karly Heath (Louisiana), Mihyia Davis (Louisiana), Victoria Ortiz (South Alabama), Jessica Mullins (Texas State), Lauren Allred (Louisiana), Alex Coleman (Marshall), Grace Chelemen (Marshall)

Sun Belt Conference Tournament
Game 1 – No. 7 Coastal Carolina 4, No. 10 Southern Miss 2
Game 2 – No. 8 ULM 4, No. 9 Georgia State 1
Game 3 – No. 3 South Alabama 4, No. 6 James Madison 1
Game 4 – No. 2 Marshall 2, No. 7 Coastal Carolina 1
Game 5 – No. 5 Texas State 3, No. 4 Troy 0
Game 6 – No. 1 Louisiana 3,. No. 8 ULM 1
Game 7 – No. 2 Marshall 3, No. 3 South Alabama 2
Game 8 – No. 1 Louisiana 4, No. 5 Texas State 1
Game 9 – No. 1 Louisiana 1, No. 2 Marshall 0

LAFAYETTE, La. – The No. 24-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball team captured the program’s fourth consecutive Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship, and 18th overall in the 23-year history of the event, with a 1-0 win over Marshall on Saturday, May 13 at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.

Sam Landry (7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 11 K) starred in the circle for Louisiana (46-13) carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning and Lauren Allred delivered the hero shot when she ended a scoreless stalemate in the fourth inning with a solo home run.

Landry set the tone for her commanding one-hit shutout in the first inning when her three strikeouts negated a two-out walk. Then after a leadoff walk in the second inning she kept the Thundering Herd (45-10) stuck in neutral by retiring 12 straight batters until a leadoff single in the sixth inning spoiled the no-hitter.

Marshall’s Sydney Nester matched Landry by taking a no-hitter of her own into the fourth inning before meeting up with Allred (2-for-3, HR, RBI) a second time. The Ragin’ Cajuns freshman slugger swung at the first pitch immediately driving it over the right field wall for the first hit allowed in the contest and the run that would make Louisiana a winner.

The 1-0 score held the remainder of the contest as a double play turned by The Herd in the fifth kept the Cajuns from adding insurance, Landry got a key strikeout looking with the tying run in scoring position in the top of the sixth and Nester danced around a bases loaded jam with a strikeout in the bottom of the sixth.

Landry, who faced only four over the minimum, closed out her masterpiece by striking out the side in the seventh to reach her first double digit strikeout performance since Opening Weekend. It was the first complete game shutout by a Cajuns pitcher in the SBC Tournament title game since 2019 (Summer Ellyson).

The tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award was presented to Landry who in two starts yielded a single run, three hits and struck out 18 over 14 innings.

The win stretched Louisiana’s season-high winning streak to 12 games and was the squad’s 22nd win in the past 25 games (since April 1).

NCAA Postseason Team(s): Louisiana, Texas State

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