Coming off a championship season that ended in disappointment, the Cowgirls have a lot of new pieces to go along with experience this spring.

So, while they have a lot of answers heading into Thursday’s season opener at Tarleton State, they also have more than a few questions.

“I like this team,” said head coach James Landreneau. “We are more athletic and have more depth. Key for this group is maturity, how do we mature and deal with adversity.”

After winning its third straight Southland Conference regular-season championship, McNeese State stumbled in the postseason and was knocked out earlier than expected. 

That left a bitter taste in the mouths of the players and coaches, who were looking for a third straight tournament title and an NCAA appearance.

“We didn’t play well in the tournament,” said Landreneau. “The rest of the league has also gotten better. You have to play well to win.”

The Cowgirls won 40 games for the third straight season, finishing 40-22 and 22-2 in the Southland. However, they failed to make it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years.

“That is the goal, to get back to a regional,” said Landreneau, who enters his ninth season at the helm of the Cowgirls.

Under Landreneau, McNeese is 298-161, a winning percentage of .630. His teams are even better in the conference, posting a 140-37 (.791) mark in the SLC.

Over the last three years, the Cowgirls have a record of 127-57 overall and 58-10 (.853) in the league. 

This year, the Cowgirls were picked second behind Southeastern in Southland’s preseason poll. Four players from the Cowgirls were named to the All-SLC preseason squad, three of them on the first team. 

Alex Dibbley, the 2024 SLC and Louisiana “Freshman of the Year,” was a first-team selection last season after leading the Cowgirls with a .351 batting average, 53 hits, 13 doubles, six home runs, and scored 30 runs, leads the group. 

Senior third baseman Rylie Bouvier and junior pitcher Ryann Schexnayder are joining her on the first team. Bouvier hit .292 and scored 29 runs a year ago. 

Schexnayder finished last year at 9-3 with a 2.65 ERA in 27 appearances and 76.2 innings. She will be in the running for the role of ace on the staff.

Sophomore outfielder Samantha Mundine led the team with 56 hits, was second on the team with 29 RBI, and third with a .311 batting average last season. She was named to the second team. 

The Cowgirls must replace all-Conference first baseman Corine Poncho and her 15 home runs. She is out of softball.

“We are going to have to play some freshmen, but I think we will have some power,” said Landreneau. 

The Cowgirls return 11 letterwinners, including seven starters and four pitchers. There will also be 11 newcomers, nine of whom are freshmen, on a roster that will balance experience and new faces.

“We will have our share of unknowns going into the season,” said Landreneau. “Right now, we look more offensive, but we are going to have to find some pitching. We have more of a rotation than one or two pitchers getting all the innings.”

Shortstop Reese Reyna returns for her senior season, looking to bounce back from a tough year that saw her start slowly. Returning to the area is Nyjah Fontenot, a prep star at Barbe High and spent the last two seasons at Arkansas.