2016 Southland Softball Tournament Field Set
Southland Conference
Bracket |
Championship Page
FRISCO, Texas – McNeese earned the top seed in the 2016 Southland Conference Softball Tournament that will get underway Wednesday, May 11, at the Cowgirl Diamond on the campus of McNeese in Lake Charles, La. The tournament host Cowgirls won their third Southland regular-season championship in four years, and look to earn their first tournament title since 2005.
Nicholls earned the second seed in the Southland tournament, while Lamar will be the third seed. Central Arkansas received the fourth seed followed by Stephen F. Austin as the fifth seed and Sam Houston State the sixth seed to round out the tournament field.
Top-seeded tournament host McNeese, who also claimed regular-season titles in 2013 and 2014, completed the season with a 23-4 league record and finished 39-12 overall. The Cowgirls are in search of their fourth overall Southland tournament championship. McNeese will receive a first-round bye and will play Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The Cowgirls face the winner of the second game of the tournament between No. 4 seed Central Arkansas and No. 5 seed SFA.
Nicholls capped off the regular season with a series win over Lamar this weekend to claim the No. 2 seed. The Colonels finished the season with a Southland record of 21-5 and an overall mark of 38-15. They receive a first-round bye in the tournament and will play Wednesday at 4 p.m. Nicholls will play the winner of the first game of the tournament between No. 3 Lamar and sixth-seeded Sam Houston.
Lamar will come off the regular season with a 18-9 league record and 32-20 overall mark to claim the No. 3 seed. Making their eighth tournament appearance in program history, the Cardinals are matched up against sixth-seeded Sam Houston in the first round Wednesday at 11 a.m. The Bearkats enter the postseason with a 12-14 Southland record and are 20-31 overall on the season.
Defending tournament champion Central Arkansas enters the tournament as the No. 4 seed after completing the regular season with a 16-11 league mark and going 35-20 overall. The Bears are making their fifth-straight postseason appearance as they defend their title. They will take on No. 5 seed SFA in the second game of the Southland tournament Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. The Ladyjacks finished the regular season 13-12 in conference play and hold a 25-26 overall record. Back in March, Central Arkansas won their series against SFA in Nacogdoches, Texas.
The 2016 Southland Conference Softball Tournament plays a six-team double elimination format with a possibility of 11 games. The 11th game would be played in the event an undefeated team lost in the title game forcing a second game for the tournament championship, upholding the double elimination format. Game 11 start time is to be determined.
The winner of the 2016 tournament receives the Southland’s automatic qualification to the NCAA Championship. The selection show airs Sunday, May 15 at 10 p.m. CST on ESPNU.
The first nine games of the 2016 Southland Softball Tournament will be streamed live for free on the Southland Conference Digital Network, including
Southland.org/watch and the league’s mobile and tablet apps. The championship round will be an exclusive presentation of ESPN3, available via
WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app. Chris Mycoskie, Assistant Commissioner of Television and Electronic Media for the Southland Conference, will handle play-by play for all games. Former University of Houston outfielder Sidney Gerbracht will join him for the championship as the color analyst.
Adult all-tournament passes are available for $21 and $11 for youth. Tickets will also be available for each day of the tournament. A single-day pass is $11 for adults and $6 for youth. For ticket purposes, a youth is any child ages 5-17. All students from Southland Conference schools will receive free admission with a valid student ID, and all children ages four and younger will also be admitted free. To purchase tickets, contact the McNeese Athletics Ticket Office at 337-562-4678 or visit
mcneesesports.com.