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American Press
13-05-2025
- Sport
- American Press
Better ending deserved
Another good season came to a tough end for the Cowgirls. (Kirk Meche/Special to the American Press) Two forgettable innings should not spoil a season to remember. Still, McNeese State's fourth straight championship softball season leaves you with an empty feeling despite all the positives. The Cowgirls likely overachieved this spring, winning 40 games for the fourth straight time and finishing 41-20. Maybe that's what hurts the most. 'When you put so much into it, the pain is real,' said McNeese head coach James Landreneau. 'It should hurt. The more it matters to you, the more your work for it, the more it hurts.' The pain for the Cowgirls last Saturday night was excruciating. Up 4-0 over rival Southeastern at home with six outs to go before claiming their fourth NCAA bid in five years, McNeese only got five of those. A strange set of circumstances, umpire reviews took the Cowgirl faithful on a wild ride in the last 40 minutes. Ultimately, the Cowgirls lost 6-5 and fell short of their ultimate goal moments after celebrating what they believed was victory. An umpire review changed the call, and a few pitches later, the outcome was flipped. It was a bitter end to a sweet success story. Now it is easy to forget that this was a very young team with only shortstop Reese Reyna returning to her starting position. There was a lot of adversity to overcome, like the injury to last season's Freshman of the Year Alexis Dibbley, who missed over half the season. There was a pitching staff to rebuild and numerous questions to answer. At one point, McNeese was just 14-13 and searching to find itself. 'You look back and reflect on the growth of watching these kids grow and where they came from, I'm so proud,' said Landreneau. 'It's hard right now, but these players did everything we asked of them. 'We started at the bottom this year and worked our way up. You know, we had some kids who were unsure about how to do things, and just kept grinding out, and we had some players who learned how to succeed early in the year, just kept showing up. I could not be prouder of this group.' The Cowgirls rallied to win their final 14 Southland games and captured the regular season title, becoming the first team to win four in a row. Depending on the transfer portal, the future should be bright. Jada Munoz had a breakout season, finishing second in the league in home runs with 15 and led the league with 56 runs batted in while hitting .343. Freshman of the Year Kassidy Chance hit .378 in her first year in college. Nyjah Fontenot, a transfer from Arkansas, led the Cowgirls in hitting at .392 while Samantha Mundine continued to improve in her sophomore year, finishing at .369 and playing much better defensively in the outfield. Then there are the two young pitchers, Maddie Taylor and Kadence Williams, and you have the beginning of a solid staff. Both freshmen showed huge improvement during the season. Taylor was named the league's Pitcher of the Year, posting an 18-7 record while Williams finished 11-7. Landreneau said that in time, he will be able to reflect on all that this team accomplished. Time heals all wounds, but it will never fully erase how far this group came this season or how close it was to its goal.
American Press
30-04-2025
- Sport
- American Press
Happy home owners
Cowgirls look to use home cooking to stay hot. (Kirk Meche/Special to the American Press) Having earned the right to host throughout the playoffs, the Cowgirls hope they can now keep riding a historic run at Joe Miller Field. Over the last four years of Southland Conference dominance, including four straight regular-season titles, McNeese State has been hard to beat at home. McNeese is 94-27 in Lake Charles during that stretch, 50-2 against SLC teams. That includes 42 straight and a 41-0 record the last three seasons. 'We like playing at home,' said outfielder Nyjah Fontenot. 'Our fans really support us.' The Cowgirls are 21-3 at home this season with their only losses to No. 1 Tennessee and SEC power LSU. They hope that playing at home will be a significant benefit in the postseason. 'It is great we get to sleep in our own beds and keep our routine,' shortstop Reese Reyna said. 'We want to play in front of our fans, they are great.' Of course, none of that matters if the Cowgirls don't play well. 'It is great to be home, but we have to keep our focus and play good softball,' said head coach James Landreneau. 'The conference has gotten better.' Top-seeded McNeese will open against East Texas A&M on Thursday at 3 p.m. The eighth-seeded Lions (10-40) were just 6-21 in the league and had to win their last game just to get in the postseason. They do have first baseman Tatum Wright, who is coming off a big weekend. She hit .545 with two home runs, six RBIs, and slugged 1.273 to earn Hitter of the Week honors and send ETAM into their first postseason play as a Division I program. McNeese did win all three games against the Lions in Lake Charles, outscoring them 36-6. 'That doesn't matter,' said Landreneau. 'It's how you play this week that counts.' The Cowgirls know the pitfalls ahead. Last year, after winning the league, they fell in the tournament without even reaching the finals. 'We played tense, not ourselves (last year),' said Reyna. 'We played not to lose. We can learn from that.' There are some stumbling blocks in McNeese's pod. No. 4 Incarnate Word and No. 5 Lamar will play the second game Thursday. Of McNeese's four losses in the league, those two teams have beaten them three times. Lamar (28-25, 15-12) is the only team to have won a series over the Cowgirls, taking two of three in Beaumont, Texas, early in the season. UIW (28-19, 17-10) beat McNeese twice in last season's tournament to knock out the Cowgirls. UIW is led by newly crowned Player and Hitter of the Year Victoria Altamirano, who finished second in the league in hitting at .447. She led the league in home runs with 15, one more than McNeese's Jada Munoz. Munoz led the conference in doubles (19) and runs batted in (53). Freshman Kassidy Chance leads the Cowgirls in hitting at .400 while Fontenot is right behind at .394. McNeese hopes that being at home this weekend will help them advance to the championship series, where they will also host if they make it that far.
American Press
21-04-2025
- General
- American Press
Traveling National Vietnam Veterans Memorial plans stop in Allen Parish
Vietnam Veterans ceremony was held at Lake Charles Civic Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana on Saturday, March 25, 2023. (Kirk Meche) The American Veterans Traveling Tribute, a replica of the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial, will be visiting Allen Parish this fall, just in time for Veterans Day. The exhibit will be on display Nov. 3-7 next to the Inn at Coushatta, off U.S. 165 and Hickory Flat Road in Kinder. The memorial will be open 24 hours a day and will be free to the public. The 8-foot-tall, 360-foot-long Traveling Vietnam Wall will honor and remember the more than 58,000 soldiers whose names are engraved on the wall. The exhibit will be accompanied by the Cost of Freedom Tribute, a series of smaller panels that recognizes the service and sacrifices of veterans during World War I and II, Korea, Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan. 'There are 885 soldiers' names from Louisiana on that wall and that shocks me,' Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 215 President Mike Breaux said. Six of those names on the wall are from Allen Parish. This is the third time a replica of the Vietnam Wall has been displayed in Allen Parish in 25 years, with previous visits in 2000 and 2004. 'I think it is great that we are getting the wall here again for all our veterans who can't go to Washington, D.C.,' Vietnam Veterans of America State President Terry Courville said, noting that the same names engraved on the wall in Washington, D.C. are also on the traveling replica. Courville said the wall is an emotional experience that serves as a healing for veterans and their families, especially as many Vietnam veterans approach 80 years old. Allen Parish Tourist Director Adagria Haddock said several events are being planned to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country, including special educational tours for school children. 'It lets every generation know the importance of the Vietnam war and the sacrifices that were made by those who served,' she said. 'It is our hope that the wall will educate youth so that history may never die.' Organizers are also planning to have area high school students read the names of the local veterans on the wall. In conjunction with the exhibit, vendors will offer information, services and resources on veterans' programs, including benefits, housing, jobs, recovery, counseling and more. The event is sponsored by the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 215 and the Allen Parish Tourist Commission. The Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 215 and Allen Parish Tourist Commission are seeking volunteers and donations. More information and a schedule of events will be announced closer to the event date. For more information, contact the Allen Parish Tourism Commission at 337-639-4868.
