Tournament Play Opens Wednesday
5/8/2016 7:53:00 AM | Softball
The Sam Houston softball team will face No. 3 seed Lamar in the opening game of the 2016 Southland Conference softball tournament in Lake Charles, La., Wednesday at 11 a.m.
The Bearkat women, who are making their 13th appearance in the post-season event, earned their tournament berth with an amazing turn-around in 2016.
Standing 7-21 for the season and just 2-7 in league play after a doubleheader loss to Northwestern State in Huntsville March 26, the Bearkats won 14 of their final 24 regular season contests. Sam Houston comes into the tournament as one of the hottest teams in the league having won six of their last seven games.
The Bearkats own a 33-20 record in Southland Conference softball tournament play. Sam Houston won the tournament championship in 1988 and 2007. The Kats have reached the Southland tournament championship finals five times including runner-up finishes in 2005, 2012 and 2013.
Tournament host McNeese will be the top seed in the 2016 event. The Cowgirls won their third Southland regular season championship in four years after compiling a 23-4 league record. McNeese earned a first round bye and will face the winner of the second game of the tournament between No. 4 seed Central Arkansas and No. 5 seed Stephen F. Austin.
The Bears and Lumberjacks duel at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Nicholls is the No. 2 seed for the tournament. The Colonels also earned a first-round bye and will take on the winner of the Bearkats versus Cardinals game in the second round Wednesday night.
Central Arkansas is the tournament's defending champion.
The 2016 Southland Conference Softball Tournament consists of 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]mcneesesports.com.
2016 SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 11
Game 1: #3 Lamar vs. #6 Sam Houston , 11 a.m.
Game 2: #4 Central Arkansas vs. #5 Stephen F. Austin, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3: #2 Nicholls vs. Winner Game #1, 4 p.m.
Game 4: #1 McNeese vs. Winner Game #2, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 12
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 4, 11 a.m.
Game 6: Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 3, 1:30 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 4 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, May 13
Game 9: Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 7, 10:30 a.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9, 2 p.m.
Game 11: If necessary game, 30 minutes after Game 10
