Tuesday, May 7
Natchitoches, La.
4 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin
vs
#5 Southeastern Louisiana
Photo by: SFA Athletics
Fourth-Seeded Ladyjacks Begin Southland Tournament Play Tuesday
5/6/2019 11:48:00 PM | Softball
SFA to face either fifth-seeded Southeastern Louisiana or eighth-seeded Central Arkansas in conference championship’s second round
#4 SFA (34-19) vs. #5 Southeastern Louisiana (32-21)/#8 Central Arkansas (26-27)
Tuesday, May 7 | 4 p.m. | Lady Demon Diamond | Natchitoches, La.
Southland Digital Network | Live Stats
Bracket | Southland Tournament Central | Game Notes
Tuesday, May 7 | 4 p.m. | Lady Demon Diamond | Natchitoches, La.
Southland Digital Network | Live Stats
Bracket | Southland Tournament Central | Game Notes
NATCHITOCHES, La. – After claiming the most wins of any Southland Conference program during the 2019 regular season, the SFA softball team is set to compete for its third Southland Tournament and first since 2008 at the 2019 Southland Softball Tournament, held at Lady Demon Diamond in Natchitoches, Louisiana, Tuesday-Friday, May 7-10. The Ladyjacks, who completed the regular season with the best overall record among all league teams at 34-19 (.642), earned the No. 4 seed with an 18-9 conference mark and will take on either fifth-seeded Southeastern Louisiana (32-21) or eighth-seeded Central Arkansas (26-27) Tuesday, May 7 at 4 p.m.
Tuesday's second round tilt of the Southland Tournament will be streamed live online via the Southland Digital Network and through the Southland app, available on Roku, Apple TV, Android TV and Amazon Fire. Live statistics of the tournament game can be followed via Southland.org. As usual, in-game updates will be made available via SFA softball's Twitter account, @SFA_Softball.
Receiving an opening-round bye, SFA will begin double-elimination play in the eight-team tournament following Southeastern Louisiana and UCA's single-elimination first round game slated for 11 a.m. Tuesday morning.
The Ladyjacks are making their 10th Southland Tournament appearance in program history, fourth since the 2010 season and second straight. A year ago, SFA earned the No. 2 seed and a double bye in the league tournament but suffered an 8-2 setback against host and third-seeded McNeese in its first game. Eighth-seeded Sam Houston State then eliminated the Ladyjacks with a 6-0 win at Joe Miller Field in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
SFA owns a 17-15 (.531) all-time record at the Southland's annual championship tournament and in 2016, the Ladyjacks posted a 3-2 record in reaching the finals of the back draw. The Ladyjacks went 2-2 in the 2014 version of the Southland Tournament before being knocked out in the back draw finals as well.
Owning a pair of Southland Tournament titles, SFA won the championship tournament in both 2008 and 1990. The Ladyjacks were upended 3-0 by Northwestern State in the championship round of the 1990 Southland Tournament but claimed a 6-3 triumph in the if necessary championship game to claim their first conference tournament title in SFA's NCAA Division I era. During its 2008 Southland Tournament title run in San Marcos, Texas, SFA won three consecutive games to capture the league crown, defeating the likes of McNeese (8-0 in six innings), Texas State (3-2) and Nicholls (2-1) in the championship game. The Ladyjacks were the No. 4 seed in both of their Southland Tournament title runs.
With two wins at the Southland Tournament this week, SFA can match its 2008 win total (36), which is the third-most victories in a single season in the program's Division I era.
LAST TIME OUT
Wrapping up the regular season with a three-game series in Huntsville, Texas, against Southland champion Sam Houston State, the Ladyjacks earned an impressive 2-1 win in the weekend opener. Postponed a day due to heavy rain and thunderstorms in the area Friday, SFA split Saturday's doubleheader behind a 2-for-2, two RBI outing from junior second baseman Lindsay Gregory and strong pitching from junior right-hander Ashley Kriesel. Gregory knocked in an RBI double to center field in the second inning of the first game of the series, giving the Ladyjacks the first lead of the weekend. Later in the top of the fourth, Gregory went yard for the second time of the season, cranking out a solo shot over the left field wall to put SFA ahead 2-0. Behind Kriesel's nine strikeouts, the Ladyjacks held on for the 2-1 victory. Kriesel (13-6) walked just one and gave up only four hits in earning her ninth complete game win inside the circle. Two one-run games went the way of the host Bearkats following SFA's game one triumph. Senior third baseman Lauren Becker got a hold of a 2-0 pitch and drove it down the left field line and over the wall for her first homer of the year to lead off the seventh inning, but it wasn't enough to complete a final inning rally in game two of the Saturday doubleheader. Sunday, a trio of Sam Houston State long balls propelled the home team to a 4-3 win after the Ladyjacks scored three runs in the top of the second and took a 3-1 lead. Junior left fielder Madison Clements reached on a Bearkat fielding error as freshman right fielder Alex Hedspeth scored, before Becker connected on a two RBI single to left field.
ABOUT #5 SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA
Led by fourth-year head coach Rick Fremin, the Lady Lions finished the regular season with a 17-10 Southland record and went 32-21 overall. Touted as the fastest team in the nation, Southeastern Louisiana leads the country with 4.06 stolen bases per game. The Lady Lions have stolen a nation-leading 215 total bases on 243 attempts with four different players having stole more than 25 bases this season. Senior infielder Jaquelyn Ramon leads the team with an impressive 58 stolen bases on 62 attempts as her 1.14 stolen bases per game leads all Division I softball players. Southeastern Louisiana has lost three of its last five games and is coming off a Southland road series loss at second-seeded Nicholls. The host Colonels took two of three games from the Lady Lions with Southeastern Louisiana winning game two of a Friday doubleheader, 11-1 in six innings. SFA went 1-2 against the Lady Lions on the road across the opening weekend of Southland play (March 8-9). The Ladyjacks took game two of the series by a convincing 11-6 score after dropping game one 7-1, and fell 3-1 in the decisive third game.
ABOUT #8 CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Led by 11th-year head coach David Kuhn, the Bears finished eighth in the final regular season Southland standings with a 12-15 conference mark and a 26-27 overall record. UCA has lost seven of its last 12 games and most recently dropped two of three games at Southland Tournament host and sixth-seeded Northwestern State over the weekend. Winning the road series finale 2-1, the Bears were defeated 2-1 in the opener and 4-0 in game two. Entering the conference tournament with just three Southland series wins in 2019, UCA swept the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio and won all three games against Houston Baptist in Conway, Arkansas. The Bears also took two of three home games from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and stole wins versus Nicholls and at Lamar. UCA traveled to Hammond, Louisiana, to face Southeastern Louisiana (April 19-20) and was defeated in a Saturday doubleheader – 3-2 and 5-4 – before grabbing a 5-3 victory in game three. SFA missed on UCA during the regular season but went 2-2 against the Bears in 2018, including winning two of three games in Nacogdoches during conference action.
Up Next…
Should the Ladyjacks come out victorious in their opening round matchup, SFA will take on top-seeded Sam Houston State Wednesday, May 8 at 11 a.m. With an opening round loss, the Ladyjacks would play at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Ladyjack softball throughout the 2019 season.
-SFA-
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