The first-place McNeese State softball team will play a home Southland Conference series for the first time this season starting tonight, looking to build on a dominant performance last weekend, when the Cowgirls swept a three-game series at Incarnate Word in San Antonio.

The Cowgirls (19-10, 3-0 SLC), who’ve won six of their last eight games and are 9-4 at home, will host Texas A&M-Commerce (5-21, 1-2) at 6 p.m. followed by a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Head coach James Landreneau said the defending conference champions reverted to form in the circle and continued improving at the plate in the Incarnate Word series.

“I think we pitched outstanding,” he said. “(Whitney) Tate was effective in both games and (Ashley) Vallejo looked like her old self; she was able to change speeds. We gave up one run total in three games. It all starts in the circle.”

Thanks to Tate (9-2, 1.70 ERA, 4 SHO), McNeese boasts the top pitching staff in the conference. The Cowgirls sport a 2.49 ERA with opponents hitting .251. Tate has 43 strikeouts in 741/3 innings. Vallejo (5-7, 3.34) has a team-high 47 strikeouts in 582/3 innings.

Cowgirls pitchers are supported by the best fielding defense in the conference (.972). The Cowgirls, who’ve turned 21 double plays, lead the nation in double plays per game.

“Offensively, the Houston game carried over into the Incarnate Word series. We had really mature at-bats, didn’t chase pitches out of the zone. When we got good pitches to hit we were aggressive. It is probably the most aggressive I’ve seen the team swing the bats this season. It is good to see. We had a lot of extra-base hits in the series, it was good to see the offense get going.”

Mariana Torres is leading the offense, which is third in the SLC in hitting (.288). The reigning SLC Hitter of the Week is on a five-game hitting streak and is 9-for-13 with a home run and five RBIs in that span. She homered in McNeese’s most recent game, a 6-2 loss at No. 10 LSU Wednesday that snapped a five-game win streak, and is hitting .313 with a team-high 17 RBIs.

“I think when she first got here she was pressing, trying to get hits, chasing some pitches,” Landreneau said of Torres. “She has relaxed the past couple of weeks, is swinging at better pitches and is being more aggressive in the strike zone. She is waiting and when she gets good pitches to hit, she is putting good swings on them. We’ve moved her up to fourth and she is giving us great production from there.”

McNeese also gets production from Alayis Seneca (.342, 6 RBIs), Rylie Bouvier (.319, 1 HR, 11 RBIs), Erin Ardoin (.302, 2 RBIs) and Chloe Gomez (.333, 12 RBIs), who has missed the last two games.

And McNeese likes to put stress on defenses with its running game. The Cowgirls are third in the conference and 14th in the nation in stolen bases (70).

Meanwhile, the eighth-place Lions (5-12, 1-2), who are winless in 10 road games, are at the bottom of the conference in hitting (.215), pitching (9.52 ERA) and fielding (.939).

Commerce was picked to finish seventh in the nine-team conference preseason poll. The Lions have lost four of their last five. They won their SLC opener against Nicholls State but lost the next two games to lose the series.

The Lions are led by Kaydee Bennett (.323, 4 RBIs) and Diamond Sefe (.323, 3 HR, 14 RBIs). Ayanna Williams, who has three home runs, and Elizabeth Guerrero, have 11 RBIs apiece.

In the circle, Commerce uses Anissa Arredondo (2-8, 7.85 ERA) and Julia Sanchez (3-6, 5.85), who has 41 strikeouts in 61 innings. Lions pitchers have combined to allow a league-high 35 home runs as opponents are hitting .394.

“They are a scrappy team,” Landreneau said of the Lions. “They are playing better as of late. It took them a while to get going with a first-year coaching staff. I know they are fundamentally sound, well-coached and will be ready to play.

“We will have to stay focused on doing a good job of taking care of the ball and carrying over good at-bats. We have pitched it well. If we can set the tone and get things going on the offensive side, that is the key for us.”