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American Press
22-05-2025
- Sport
- American Press
Jim Gazzolo column: NCAA should give SLC softball second look
McNeese State second baseman Reese Reyna reaches to field a ground ball during an NCAA Tournament game against host Northwestern Saturday in the Evanston (Ill.) Regional. (Phillip Mitchell / Special to the American Press) It is time for the NCAA to take a closer look at what is happening in the Southland Conference regarding softball. When it comes to the postseason, NCAA committees often find it easy to overlook the SLC. I get that. You need big wins to establish your league as a contender, and you do that in the postseason. However, softball has left a mark on the last few tournaments, taking out some big names. That should turn more than a few heads on the selection committee. Since 2022, the Southland champs have had a winning record in regional play at 9-8. All of those games have been wins against teams from power conferences. During that time, the Southland entry reached a regional final each year. This season, Southeastern Louisiana did it again, going 2-2 in last weekend's Baton Rouge Regional. The Lions, who finished second in the SLC and beat McNeese State in a dramatic title game in walk-off fashion in Lake Charles, toppled No. 10 LSU not once but twice on the Tigers' home field. They lost twice to Nebraska, but it was still an impressive run for a No. 4 regional seed. It was the second consecutive season SELA has gone 2-2 in the NCAA Tournament. You would think a club that went to a regional final the season before would be more than a four seed the following season, but respect takes time for a conference. Two seasons before that, it was McNeese that made consecutive runs at a regional title. In fact, in 2023, the Cowgirls came within a couple of times of becoming the first Southland team to reach a super regional. After years of playing top teams in the nation both home and away, McNeese had closed the gap as it played No. 7 Washington in Seattle. A late collapse saw the Cowgirls falter at the end, losing 3-2 in the regional. That season, the Cowgirls won four games against Top 25 opponents, more than proving they were worthy of a spot in the NCAA Tournament if they had not won the Southland's automatic bid. Just to make the NCAAs, McNeese needed an extra-inning home run by Reese Reyna to beat Southeastern for the SLC title. SELA likely deserved a spot in the big tournament but was overlooked because the league's rating was not high enough. The year before, McNeese served notice that it was a surging program with two tournament wins over No. 21 Notre Dame, the second knocking the Irish out of the Evanston (Ill.) Regional hosted by Northwestern. The softball tournament committee might not be looking closely at the Southland, but it should. The league has improved, and teams are much more competitive. While it is likely the big-name schools will continue to dominate the bids, the Southland is finding itself at least raising eyebrows once it makes the party It deserves a second invitation, some years, to be taken seriously. a Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers McNeese State athletics for the American Press. Email him at jimgazzolo@
American Press
29-04-2025
- Sport
- American Press
One last run
As a sophomore, Reese Reyna hit the tournament-winning home run for McNeese. (American Press Archives) A s she rounded the bases, her feet seemed to barely touch the ground. It was a Saturday afternoon two years ago, and with each step, the fans at Joe Miller Field grew louder and louder. Then-sophomore McNeese Cowgirls shortstop, Reese Reyna, ran toward her teammates who were circling home plate. As her right foot landed in the middle of the plate, the day's drama ended and a wild celebration ensued. That was the last time the Cowgirls hosted a postseason game. Reyna had won the game and the tournament, sending McNeese back to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight time. 'I do remember that, but there were a lot of other plays and players that did big things which led up to that moment,' Reyna said. 'But it was fun.' Reyna's two-out blast over the fence in left in the bottom of the eighth was just the second hit on the day for McNeese, which won 1-0 over rival Southeastern. Two years later, Reyna and the Cowgirls are back home, hosting one of the two four-team pods that will determine which teams advance to the title series. They will open play Thursday against eighth-seeded East Texas A&M at 3 pm. 'It's exciting to be back playing a tournament at home,' said Reyna. 'We love playing in front of our fans. They always support us.' Reyna is getting one final chance at making an NCAA Regional after the Cowgirls won their fourth straight regular-season title last weekend. She is the only player in Southland Conference history to have accomplished that. 'I have been blessed to be here for four years,' Reyna said. 'It has been great to be a part of this program and this community.' Now in her final games at McNeese, Reyna is wiser than she was two years ago, and she's become a leader of the team. She still plays the same way, though. 'She has matured, and that has been fun to watch,' said McNeese head coach James Landreneau. 'To see how she has grown not just in softball, but in life, has been very rewarding.' As a freshman, the 5-foot-3 infielder from Santa Fe, Texas, played in 57 games, starting 53. She followed that up by starting all 61 games and hitting .309, earning a spot on the SLC's all-conference second team. Reyna was named the MVP of the postseason tournament as well, hitting two homers, including the one that clinched the title. Last year, however, she struggled after getting off to a slow start. Reyna finished with a career-low .252 average while starting all 51 games. 'I looked at my numbers early and was like, gosh, I should be more productive,' said Reyna. 'I started to press and felt like I wasn't helping the team.' Her coach, however, stayed with his shortstop. 'No one has ever questioned Reese's effort,' said Landreneau. 'She came here to play ball. I feel like last year she was trying too hard. 'She wasn't herself.' That's changed. 'I care more about the results of the team,' said Reyna. 'I'm not worried about my numbers.' Reyna will take a .308 average into the postseason with career highs in home runs (5) and runs batted in (29). And when she takes the field Thursday, she will be alone in fifth place at McNeese for most games played with 233, nine off the record. That alone shows her value and consistency. 'Since Reese first showed up on campus, we have been able to count on her to work hard, play the game the right way, and do little things that help us win,' said Landreneau. Don't be surprised if Reyna doesn't have another memorable moment for the Cowgirls' postseason.
