HAMMOND, La. – The two-time reigning Southland Conference Tournament champion Southeastern Louisiana University softball team will officially open the 2026 season at this week's NFCA Leadoff Classic at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Fla.
 
SLU opens the tournament Thursday with a 6 p.m. contest versus No. 13 Clemson. Friday will see the Lady Lions face South Alabama at 3 p.m. and Longwood at 6 p.m. Rutgers (2 p.m.) and Boston College (5 p.m.) await Saturday for Southeastern, before SLU closes the tournament with a 9 a.m. contest versus No. 5 Oregon.
 
Sunday's game will be televised on MLB Network, while SLU's first three days of action will be streamed free on the Game Changer app.
 
Southeastern is coming off back-to-back NCAA Regional final appearances. The Lady Lions return eight positional starters, the top two pitchers and all four first team All-SLC honorees from last season's squad. SLU finished 50-16 overall and recorded its fourth straight season of 40 or more wins – one of eight Division I programs to accomplish that feat over that span.
 
The top nine hitters for average return for Southeastern, which received votes in the NFCA Preseason Top 25. First team All-SLC selections Shenita Tucker (.394 in 2025), Maria Detillier (.365, 15 2B, 6 3B, 55 RBI) and Chloe Magee (.358, 54 runs, 39 RBI) all return from last year's Lady Lion lineup that hit .323 as a team.
 
Under the direction of two-time Louisiana Coach of the Year Rick Fremin, who oversaw the 2025 NFCA Division I Gulf Region Coaching Staff of the Year, SLU has led Division I in stolen bases nine times. Magee (35 steals), Shelby Morris (31), Tucker (25), Kailey Dixon (19), Detillier (17), Colleen Kulivan (14) and Brilee Ford (10) all swiped double-digit bags last spring.
 
SLC Newcomer and Louisiana Pitcher of the Year Macie LaRue (19-3, 2.29 ERA) and Hallie Burns (12-6, 2.66 ERA) are the top returners for a SLU pitching staff that finished with a 2.41 team earned run average in 2025.
 
Southeastern will face an early test in Thursday's opener versus a Clemson squad that finished 48-14 a season ago and lost a tightly-contested Super Regional at eventual national champion Texas. Top power hitters Julia Knowler (15 HR, 62 RBI), Macey Cintron (14 HR, 51 RBI) and Marian Collins (11 HR, 47 RBI) return for the Tigers, while Cintron (8-2, 2.25 ERA) is also CU's top returning arm.
 
Southeastern opens Friday versus South Alabama, which finished 20-31 overall in 2025. Olivia Branstetter is the top returning hitter for average, while Ryley Harrison (10-8, 3.26 ERA, 2 saves) is back in the circle for the Jaguars.
 
Longwood awaits in Friday's nightcap. The Lancers finished 21-32 last spring and feature top returners Brooke Bennett (.320), Maggie Hiatt (8 HR) and Maggie Chapin (9-13, 4.51 ERA).
 
Saturday's first opponent, Boston College, will be replacing its top four hitters for average from last season's 22-29 squad. The Eagles return the top two arms from 2025 in Kelly Colleran (13-15, 4.73 ERA) and Bailey Kendziorski (6-12, 4.51 ERA, 3 saves).
 
SLU closes Saturday's action versus Rutgers, which posted a 20-36 mark last spring. Bailey Briggs (.280) and Kelsey Hoekstra (6-11, 5.84 ERA) are among the top returners for the Scarlet Knights.
 
The Lady Lions' nationally-televised contest Sunday will see SLU face an Oregon squad which was a 2025 Women's College World Series participant and posted a 54-10 overall record. Rylee McCoy (.385, 19 HR, 59 RBI) leads a potent Duck offense, while OU features a dominant 1-2 punch in the circle in Lyndsey Grein (30-3, 2.21 ERA, 3 saves) and Elise Sokolsky (17-5, 2.09 ERA).
 
Following the opening weekend, SLU will return home to host Louisiana Tech Wednesday at 5 p.m. at North Oak Park. The 2026 home opener will be televised on ESPN+ and SLU will unveil the banners celebrating the team's 2025 Southland Conference Tournament championship and NCAA Baton Rouge Regional final appearance.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Softball, follow @LionUpSoftball on X and Instagram, like /SLUathletics 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.