It was the toughest of endings.

One out from advancing to a super regional, the McNeese State softball team suffered a gut-wrenching loss to Washington.

The painful collapse in the seventh inning of the NCAA Tournament regional final found a somewhat soft landing Monday for the Cowgirls.

For the first time in program history, McNeese finished in the top 25 in a national poll. The Cowgirls ranked No. 22 in the final Division I softball postseason poll after a 47-16 campaign.

“It is exciting and great for our kids,” said Cowgirls head coach James Landreneau. “It shows all their hard work and dedication paid off.”

It also helps the program continue to rise among the national elite. The Cowgirls have played in the NCAA Tournament in six of the last eight seasons, winning four SLC regular-season titles. The 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19.

“For the rest of the year we will be in the top 25,” he said. “That is great for the program.”

With a young team, the Cowgirls are expected to be right back in the mix playing for another Southland Conference title next year and a trip to the postseason.

Baseball Honor

Grant Rogers earned his second all-American honor when he was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America second team.

Rogers was the lone Southland Conference player selected to any of the three teams and the second Cowboy in school history to earn NCBWA all-American honors.

Ben Broussard was selected to the group’s first team in 1999.

Rogers was named to a Collegiate Baseball second team all-American on June 1. Rogers is in the running to become the third player in McNeese history to earn consensus status with one more honor in either of the other two national outlets. He’s on the ballot for American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings all-American and is in the running for Baseball America’s all-American team.

The two-time SLC Pitcher of the Year and first team all-conference selection posted a 12-1 record with a 1.82 ERA, a single-season school record for wins.

Honor Roll

Senior softball pitcher Whitney Tate was named the SLC softball student-athlete of the year.

Tate carried a 3.9 grade point average in biology with a pre-medical track while earning first-team all-SLC and all-SLC Tournament honors.

McNeese State sports information contributed to this story.