Entering the season, a mostly new infield lineup was one of the big questions facing the McNeese State softball team.

That area of concern quickly developed into one of the team’s main strengths, as the Cowgirls lead the country in double plays with 33.

Second baseman Mariana Torres and shortstop Reese Reyna lead the defense. McNeese has committed 39 errors in 58 games, while opponents have committed 83 miscues.

The Cowgirls entered the season with no starting infielders returning at the spot they played last year.

Reyna played second base last season and was moved to shortstop this season. Torres transferred in from Texas A&M. Last season’s first baseman, Crislyne Moreno, split time between first and third base early in the season, then settled back in at first with Rylie Bouvier becoming the regular third baseman.

Head coach James Landreneau said the stellar play of the middle infielders was the result of offseason preparations.

“They have put in the time in the offseason,” Landreneau said. “It is no accident they have gotten to this point. They worked extremely hard on footwork and arm slots. They are able to stay in athletic positions throughout. They are able to create space and change arm slots pretty easily. They work well together. We have been able to turn a lot of double plays with them and with Rylie at the corner; you can see the last month and a half how much better she has gotten with accuracy.”

Landreneau said Reyna showed early on that she would be able to handle the move to shortstop.

“Just watching in the offseason, when she came back, her feet had gotten so much better; her hands had gotten softer. She obviously put in a lot of work over the summer. When she came back for fall camp, you saw a big difference in that and in her velocity, which allows her to play deeper and have more range.”

Reyna said the move was made easier because she was already working on improving her arm strength.

“I didn’t really know about moving to shortstop, he just put me over there,” Reyna said. “I was excited about it; I played short in high school and select ball. The longer throws and going into the five-six hole were the biggest adjustments. I worked on my velocity all year, even from second base.”

Developing chemistry with Torres in fall camp didn’t take long.

“She has really good feet,” Reyna said of Torres. “That is the first thing I noticed. She has a great glove and makes the difficult plays look routine. Right off the bat we meshed and it was a good fit.”

Torres said it didn’t take long to feel at home at McNeese.

“The family atmosphere stood out,” Torres said. “Everyone here is very genuine and cares about your development, not only as a player but as a person. In the fall I realized how selfless everyone here was, how willing they were to help.

“It was a transition at first, but then I saw everyone working hard, working for a common goal, and that made it really easy for me to buy in. Reese and Caleigh Cross were two of the people that really helped me right away, but everyone made it easy.”

Torres said the Cowgirls’ penchant for turning two isn’t a fluke.

“We just work real hard at it in practice,” she said. “We are very intentional in everything we do, so in the game it just feels routine. We are very competitive and want those double-play balls.”

Reyna said the pitchers and infielders work well together.

“They throw a lot of ground ball outs,” she said of the pitchers. “They go right at hitters. We tell them to let them hit the ball and we’ll make the plays behind them.”

Torres said Reyna deserved her moment in the spotlight after hitting a walk-off home run in the championship game of the SLC Tournament, the Cowgirls’ third consecutive title.

That launched the Cowgirls (44-14) into the Seattle Regional of the NCAA Tournament, opening Friday against Minnesota (33-17).

“That was incredible, I was tearing up because I knew we worked so hard for that,” Torres said. “Reese worked so hard for it. It was a cool moment to enjoy that as a team.”