James Landreneau looking forward to next season. (McNeese Athletics)

Muñoz earns regional honor

James Landreneau will be back next season as the head coach of the McNeese State softball team.

McNeese Athletic Director Heath Schroyer said Landreneau’s contract was rolled over for the fourth year, as officially agreed upon on Wednesday. Landreneau signed a three-year deal after the 2022 season, which included a fourth-year rollover.

The news comes as no surprise to anyone familiar with the program.

“Everything is going as planned,” said Landreneau. “This is what we had expected.”

Schroyer and Landreau met on Wednesday as part of the annual season-ending review.

“We are just moving forward, that is the best way to get over the tough loss,” said Landreneau. “We are disappointed in how it finished, but I’m proud of the way our team fought back this year.”

McNeese was an extremely young team that ended strong after a 17-16 start. The Cowgirls rallied to finish 41-20, their fourth straight 40-plus win season.

They also won their fourth straight Southland Conference regular-season title, becoming the first program in league history to do that. They were one out of winning a fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament in five seasons.

McNeese lost a controversial 6-5 decision to rival Southeastern last Saturday night when the umpires reversed a late call after the Cowgirls had actually celebrated getting the final out. 

“Coach Landreneau did an exceptional job, maybe his best year coaching yet,” Schroyer said. “We’re excited to have him back next year.

“We had a very young roster this year, and the team came together and grew as the season progressed. I’m looking forward to watching this team continue to grow next year.”

In his nine seasons at McNeese, Landreneau has posted a 339-181 record, winning five tournament and five regular-season crowns. He was named the league’s Coach of the Year for the fourth time earlier this month after becoming the winningest skipper in program history early in the season.

Landreneau and his pitching staff will return at least seven starters next season. The only everyday player who will definitely not be back will be all-conference shortstop Reese Reyna, who is out of eligibility.

“We have a young team and we learned a lot this year,” said Landreneau. “We have gone through great exit interviews this week and have gotten a lot of positive feedback on where we are headed. I’m excited about getting back at it in the fall.”

On Thursday, the organization announced that junior third baseman Jada Muñoz was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s All-Region team. Muñoz was selected to the Gulf Region third team.

Muñoz led McNeese with 15 home runs, 19 doubles, 56 RBI, 26 walks, 126 total bases, 52 runs scored, .720 slugging percent, and was third on the team with a .343 batting average. Ironically, despite finishing second in the league in homers and leading in RBIs, Muñoz was not named to the all-Southland team.