Piancastelli Three-Peats Southland Softball Player of the Year Honors
Southland Conference
FRISCO, Texas – Junior utility player Erika Piancastelli of McNeese became the first softball player to win the Southland Conference Player and Hitter of the Year awards three times, the league announced Monday with the All-Conference Teams. The Southland’s head coaches and sports information directors voted for the selections.
The Cowgirls’ Rachel Smith was named the Pitcher of the Year while McNeese head coach James Landreneau – in his first season at the helm – won Coach of the Year. Abilene Christian’s Sidney Holman was tabbed Pitcher of the Year, and Southeastern Louisiana’s Mahalia Gibson claimed Newcomer of the Year.
Piancastelli pulled off the three-peat in both awards after leading the Cowgirls to a school-record 24 conference wins. The product of Carlsbad, Calif. (Carlsbad H.S.), earned the honors in a 2017 season that saw her lead the conference statistics in slugging percentage (.809), on base percentage (.584), RBIs (29), walks (28) and share the league-lead for homeruns (7). Piancastelli’s 56 walks this season in all competitions etched her name in the McNeese and Southland record books as the career leader in walks. In addition to her two individual superlatives, Piancastelli was named to the all-conference first team. This is now the fourth-straight year a Cowgirl has swept the two awards.
Smith becomes the third McNeese pitcher to win the conference’s honor and first since Jamie Allred was named it in 2014. In conference play, the senior from Sterling High School (Baytown, Texas) led the league in opponents batting average (.179) and was second in ERA (1.15) and wins (11). Smith was also an all-conference first team selection.
The Wildcats’ found its freshman ace earn the team its first Southland individual superlative in the sport. Holman, a Belton, Texas, native, was the only pitcher in the conference to earn 20 wins across overall play. The right-hander earned 13 of Abilene Christian’s 20 league wins, which placed the Wildcats second in the Southland standings. She posted a 1.25 conference ERA, struck out 83 conference opponents along the way and landed a spot on the all-conference first team.
Newcomer Mahalia Gibson is the first Lion to be selected for the honor. The junior from Hattiesburg, Miss., appeared in all 55 of Southeastern Louisiana’s games this season and led the team in hits (52), doubles (10), triples (5), RBIs (36), total bases (81) and slugging percentage (.494). The first baseman was selected to the all-conference second team.
McNeese saw its first-year head coach earn the program its fifth coaching honor. After spending the last four seasons as an assistant coach on the Cowgirls’ squad, Landreneau did not let the Cowgirls skip a beat. The team claimed a school record 24 Southland wins and won all nine of its conference series this year. McNeese won its second-straight regular season championship and fourth in five years.
Four other Southland players joined Piancastelli as three-time all-conference selections: Abilene Christian’s Peyton Hedrick and Taylor Brown, Central Arkansas’ Briana Whisenhunt and Northwestern State’s Kellye Kincannon. Lamar’s Bryn Baca, Brittany Rodriguez, Ciara Luna and Kelly Meeuwsen, McNeese’s Justyce McClain and Hailey Drew, Nicholls’ Amanda Gianelloni and UIW’s Mikaela Flores were all second-time all-conference honorees.
Eleven schools earned at least one selection between the three teams. Abilene Christian, Nicholls and Lamar each had six selections while McNeese squeezed in five. Central Arkansas and UIW had three players each named to one of the three teams with Northwestern State and Southeastern Louisiana placing two. Sam Houston state, Stephen F. Austin and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi all had one player selected.
The
2017 Southland Conference Softball Tournament begins Wednesday at Farris Field in Conway, Ark., with game one starting at 11 a.m. between No. 3 seed Lamar and No. 6 Northwestern State. Central Arkansas enters its host tournament as the No. 5 seed facing No. 4 Sam Houston State. McNeese claimed the top seed for consecutive seasons with Nicholls earning the second seed. The winner from the six-team double elimination tournament will earn the league’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championship.
Games 1-9 will be streamed live on the Southland Digital Network with Chris Mycoskie, Steve Owens and Chris Kane sharing play-by-play duties. The games will be available via
southland.org/live and the
Southland Conference app. In addition to the mobile app, the app is now available for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Roku.
The championship round will be an exclusive presentation of ESPN3, which can be viewed via
WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app with Mycoskie and former Southeastern Louisiana pitcher Kati Morse on the call.
2017 All-Southland Conference Softball Teams
| First Team |
|
|
|
| Pos. |
Name |
University |
Class |
Hometown |
| 1B |
Kasey Frederick |
Nicholls |
So. |
Bridge City, Texas |
| 2B |
Holly Neese |
Abilene Christian |
Jr. |
Plano, Texas |
| 3B |
Tori Koerselman |
Sam Houston State |
Sr. |
Huntsville, Texas |
| SS |
Peyton Hedrick3 |
Abilene Christian |
Jr. |
Forney, Texas |
| C |
Bryn Baca2 |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Round Rock, Texas |
| UT |
Erika Piancastelli3 |
McNeese |
Jr. |
Carlsbad, Calif. |
| DP |
Alexandria Saldivar |
McNeese |
Fr. |
Princeton, Texas |
| OF |
Justyce McClain2 |
McNeese |
So. |
Phoenix, Ariz. |
| OF |
Taylor Brown3 |
Abilene Christian |
Sr. |
Richland Hills, Texas |
| OF |
Brittany Rodriguez2 |
Lamar |
Jr. |
Cypress, Texas |
| P |
Rachel Smith |
McNeese |
Sr. |
Baytown, Texas |
| P |
Sidney Holman |
Abilene Christian |
Fr. |
Belton, Texas |
|
|
|
|
|
| Second Team |
|
|
|
| 1B |
Mahalia Gibson |
Southeastern La. |
Jr. |
Hattiesburg, Miss. |
| 2B |
Brooke Morris |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
Denham Springs, La. |
| 3B |
Casey-May Huff |
Abilene Christian |
Sr. |
Calgary, Alberta |
| SS |
Amanda Gianelloni2 |
Nicholls |
So. |
Napoleonville, La. |
| C |
Amber Landry |
Stephen F. Austin |
Jr. |
Ponchatoula, La. |
| UT |
Sable Hankins |
Lamar |
Jr. |
Moore, Okla. |
| DP |
Jessica Taylor |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
Colleyville, Texas |
| OF |
Samantha Mracich |
Nicholls |
Fr. |
Metairie, La. |
| OF |
Kinsey Nichols |
Southeastern La. |
Jr. |
Alvin, Texas |
| OF |
Briana Whisenhunt3 |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Crandall, Texas |
| P |
Kayla Gomness |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Lemoore, Calif. |
| P |
Ciara Luna2 |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Seguin, Texas |
|
|
|
|
|
| Third Team |
|
|
|
| 1B |
Brianna Barnhill |
Abilene Christian |
Jr. |
Rhome, Texas |
| 2B |
Kelly Meeuwsen2 |
Lamar |
So. |
Hillsboro, Ore. |
| 3B |
Jordan Rains |
Northwestern State |
Sr. |
Houston, Texas |
| SS |
Hailey Drew2 |
McNeese |
Jr. |
Fallbrook. Calif. |
| C |
Christy Trevino |
UIW |
Sr. |
San Antonio, Texas |
| UT |
Mikaela Flores2 |
UIW |
Sr. |
Lockhart, Texas |
| DP |
Cyla Hill |
Central Arkansas |
Fr. |
Henryetta, Okla. |
| OF |
Kellye Kincannon3 |
Northwestern State |
Sr. |
Lake Jackson, Texas |
| OF |
Ashley McDowell |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Plano, Texas |
| OF |
Danielle Ramirez |
UIW |
Sr. |
San Antonio, Texas |
| P |
Liz Carter |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Sr. |
Austin, Texas |
| P |
Megan Landry |
Nicholls |
So. |
Pierre Part, La.
|
2 Two-time all-conference selection
3 Three-time all-conference selection
Honorable Mention –
Catcher: Kaleigh Singleton, Abilene Christian.
First Base: Alex Alonzo, UIW.
Second Base: Carleigh Chaumont, McNeese.
Third Base: Kassie James, Houston Baptist.
Shortstop: Tiffany Thompson, Sam Houston State.
Designated Player: Hannah Marino, Sam Houston State
Utility Player: Sydney Bourg, Nicholls.
Outfield: Braegan Hamilton, Abilene Christian; Taylor Schmidt, McNeese; Corina Thornton, Lamar.
Pitcher: Lindsey McLeod, Sam Houston State.
Individual Awards
Player of the Year: Erika Piancastelli, McNeese
Hitter of the Year: Erika Piancastelli, McNeese
Pitcher of the Year: Rachel Smith, McNeese
Freshman of the Year: Sidney Holman, Abilene Christian
Newcomer of the Year: Mahalia Gibson, Southeastern La.
Coach of the Year: James Landreneau, McNeese