Looking to make even more history, the Cowgirls begin their quest for a fourth consecutive Southland Conference Tournament championship at North Oak Park in Hammond.

Coming off a regular-season three-peat, McNeese State is the top seed to win the tourney once again and reach the NCAA Tournament for a fourth consecutive time.

Already the lone softball program to have won the postseason tournament three times in a row, and having done it twice, the Cowgirls (38-18) will open this year’s championship at 11 a.m. today against the winner of Tuesday’s No. 4 Incarnate Word and No. 5 Lamar.

McNeese swept both teams this year. The Cowgirls also carry a 10-game tournament win streak into the opener.

If more is needed, they are also 19-2 in the tourney under head coach James Landreneau, who is four away from picking up his 300th career victory.

But this doesn’t seem like a cakewalk for the Cowgirls, with an improved league — five of the nine teams finished the regular season with a winning record — and the event being hosted by 42-win and No. 2-seeded Southeastern Louisiana.

“There is a lot of parity this year,’ said Landreneau, who’s