HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University softball team will return home to host Southland Conference foe Northwestern State for Senior Day and the Cypress Trophy series this week at Northwestern State.
 
The SLC three-game set between the Lady Lions (33-8, 10-2 SLC) and the visiting Lady Demons (14-23, 2-10 SLC), which will be televised on ESPN+, opens with a 4 p.m. doubleheader Friday and concludes with a noon contest Saturday.
 
Following Saturday's series finale, Southeastern will honor the 2024 senior class of Lexi Johnson, Ellie DuBois, Cera Blanchard, Cam Goodman, Mary-Cathryn (MC) Comeaux, Audrey Greely, Bailey Krolczyk, Ka'Lyn Watson Sadie Hewitt and Sophia Stoddard in a postgame Senior Day ceremony. Fans will also have the chance to win prizes by playing Saturday Bingo.
 
The series winner will also take home the Cypress Trophy. The Cypress Trophy has been awarded to the winner of the series between Southeastern and Northwestern State since 2019. The Lady Demons hoisted the trophy in 2019 and 2021, while Southeastern took it in 2022 and 2023.
 
SLU enters the weekend having won its last 13 Southland Conference series dating back to 2022. The Lady Lions went toe-to-toe with No. 6 LSU Wednesday, before having its 10-game win streak snapped in a 7-5 extra-inning loss to the Tigers.
 
Southeastern is one of three teams, along with reigning national champion Oklahoma and Texas, that currently ranks in the top 10 nationally in both batting average (.345, 8^th) and earned run average (1.73, 10^th). Offensively, Ka'Lyn Watson leads the Lady Lions with a .405 batting average, followed by Krolczyk (.395), Maria Detillier (.378), Chloe Magee (.350) and Goodman (.333).
 
Watson also has a team-high 51 hits, 38 runs scored and 21 stolen bases. A total of five Lady Lions have double-digit steals, as SLU leads Division I with 118 steals.
 
Johnson leads the team with five home runs, while Krolczyk paces the roster with 14 doubles and five triples. Detillier's 35 RBI is the top total for Southeastern.
 
Blanchard (13-2, 1.39 ERA, 4 saves), DuBois (11-3, 1.55 ERA), Comeaux (3-2, 2.20 ERA, 3 saves), Allison Brunson (3-0, 1.22 ERA, 1 save) and Chloe Bennett (3-1, 3.00 ERA, 1 save) have all been impressive in the circle for SLU. The Lady Lions head into the series with the Demons with 12 shutouts and all five pitchers have played a part in at least three shutouts.
 
Southeastern will be matching up with a NSU lineup that is hitting .245 as a team, led by Tristin Court (.358, 13 2B, 3 HR, 23 RBI). Kenzie Seely (7-10, 3.51 ERA, 1 save) and Maggie Darr (5-11, 2.94 ERA, 1 save) are the top arms for a Lady Demon staff that has a 3.89 team ERA.
 
The Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office will be accepting donations to the Lion Food Pantry through Friday this week and is collecting ramen noodles, rice, pasta and granola bars. Anyone who donates will receive a free ticket to either the April 23 softball doubleheader or the baseball contests on April 23 or 24.
 
Following the series, Southeastern will head to Nicholls for a three-game series in Thibodaux. The series opens with a 4 p.m. doubleheader April 19 and concludes with a noon contest April 20. The twin bill will be televised on ESPN+.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Softball, follow @LionUpSoftball on X and Instagram, like /LionUpAthletics on Facebook.
 
HOME RUN CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the softball program are encouraged to join the Home Run Club. Lady Lion softball alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.
 
All membership fees and donations to both the Home Run Club and S Club (softball) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern softball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
TICKETS
For ticket information, please contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net/tickets. Southeastern offers mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets. All tickets will be available via e-mail in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics has a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.