Five straight victories have propelled the Cowgirls into the position of controlling their fate. 

Now they have to show they know what to do with that.

McNeese State opens a critical 3-game series at Houston Christian knowing they are within reach of making history.

With nine games remaining, the Cowgirls are looking to be the first program in Southland Conference history to win four straight regular-season softball championships. 

 “We have to forget about the standings and worry about how we play,” said Landreneau. “There are some things we can get better at, and that’s exciting. We can still play better.”

The Cowgirls enter Friday’s doubleheader at 28-17, 14-4 in the SLC. Houston Christian 

McNeese owns the series with a 31-8 advantage. The Cowgirls have won 11 straight and 18 of the last 19 against the Huskies. 

HCU (13-25, 6-12) enters the series having lost six straight games. Still, Landreneau is concerned about the weekend.

“We have to get ready for a good HCU team,” he said. “We have seen that they have always played us well. We know we are in for a fight; they always play us tough. 

“I know it is going to be pretty good competition.” 

The Cowgirls seem to have gotten their coach’s message.

“We are trying to focus on one game at a time,” said junior Jada Munoz. “We don’t worry about the rest.”

Munoz is coming off a big series that ended Wednesday with McNeese sweeping Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Munoz went 5-for-9 with a homer, three doubles, and seven runs batted in. 

“I just try to swing the ball well,” said Munoz. 

Sophomore Samantha Mundine leads the Cowgirls with a .388 average, good for sixth in the conference. Freshman Kassidy Chance is ninth in the SLC at .382.

Houston Christian’s AB Garcia is second in the conference, batting at .464 to lead the Huskies.

Over their last five wins, the Cowgirls have been able to pick up three games in the standings on Southeastern, whom they beat last weekend in a series, taking two of three in Hammond.

“That was a big series for us, especially after we lost the first game,” said Landreneau. “I thought we played the last two games with a lot of maturity.

For Landreneau, it is still about the journey more than anything else.

“What is special about winning a championship is it’s not about the trophy, it’s the journey you have to take to get there,” Landreneau said. “The ability to focus day in and day out is the challenge. If you win a championship, it shows you could deal with adversity.”

The Cowgirls overcame adversity early in the season and are now in a position to win the title. 

First pitch in today’s doubleheader is set for 4 p.m.