The young Cowgirls are about to get a week-long test against tough competition.

Off to an impressive 10-4 start and riding a six-game win streak, McNeese State’s softball team will begin their weekend in SEC country Wednesday night.

The Cowgirls will take on Ole Miss, which is receiving votes in this week’s national polls. 

For the 12-3 Rebels, McNeese will be their first home game of the season. They have won seven straight games heading into the matchup.

After that, the Cowgirls will head to Auburn, Alabama, to play in the Jane Moore Memorial Tournament. They will open the tourney against Louisiana-Lafayette on Friday. 

McNeese will play No. 18 Auburn and Rutgers from the Big Ten twice each during the event. 

“This is a great opportunity for our kids to see how much we have matured in the season’s first quarter,” said McNeese head coach James Landreneau. “We are going to see deep lineups all week long. These games are going to teach us a lot about ourselves.”

The Cowgirls have always had challenging schedules. They have played No. 6 Tennessee twice this season, losing both games at home. 

“We want to play these types of games to see where we are as a team,” said Landreneau. “It is also one of the reasons girls come here to play.”

Landreneau and his staff are still trying to figure out this year’s club. With a host of newcomers and a bunch of freshmen starting, not much was known going into the season. So far, things have worked out. 

“What I like is how this team responds to adversity,” said Landreneau. “Now we find out if the moment isn’t too big playing these types of teams.

“We can’t get caught up in failures. When you fail, you learn.”

After three weekends, the Cowgirls lead the Southland Conference in hitting with a .328 batting average. They are second in the league in runs scored (98), home runs (9), and stolen bases (38). 

Leading the way is sophomore Samantha Mundine, who is second in the conference in hitting at .488. Jada Munoz is tied for the SLC lead in home runs with four, while teammate Alexis Dibbley has three. 

Munoz is at the top with 19 runs scored, while Dibbley is the league leader in runs batted in with 15. Mundine leads with 20 hits. 

“This team has been more mature than we expected,” said Landreneau. “The moments haven’t been too big for them. The freshmen act like they have been playing in college for two or three years already.”

Now, they will get the chance to see how they stack up against some of the nation’s best.

“There is no letup in these games,” said Landreneau. “We have to be at our best every game to give ourselves a chance.”

Monday, McNeese junior left-hander Ryann Schexnayder was named the Southland’s softball Pitcher of the Week. 

In her only appearance, the junior allowed just one run and struck out four in a 10-1 5-inning victory over Kansas City last Friday.