HAMMOND, La. – The 2026 Southland Conference regular season champion and two-time reigning SLC Tournament champion Southeastern Louisiana University softball team claimed two individual honors and placed a league-high eight players on the 2026 All-Southland Conference Softball Teams released Wednesday by the league office.
 
After leading the Lions to the first SLC regular season title, 11^th-year head coach Rick Fremin was named the Southland Conference Coach of the Year. Sophomore Hallie Burns was honored as the SLC Pitcher of the Year.
 
Burns was joined on the All-Southland first team by catcher Cydnee Schneider, second baseman Shelby Morris, third baseman Maria Detillier and outfielder Ka'Lyn Watson. First baseman Brilee Ford, shortstop Chloe Magee and pitcher Cera Blanchard were named to the second team. The five first-team selections and eight selections overall both tied school records.  
 
For just the second time, the Southland Conference awarded an All-Defensive Team and SLU, which carries a .974 fielding percentage into the postseason, led the SLC with four honorees. Schneider, Detillier and Blanchard were joined on the all-defensive squad by outfielder Colleen Kulivan.
 
Fremin, who has been named Louisiana Coach of the Year each of the past two seasons and headed the 2025 Gulf Region Coaching Staff of the Year, adds his first SLC Coach of the Year award to his trophy case.
 
The Belle Chasse, Louisiana native has led the Lions to 40 or more wins in each of the past five seasons and has helped SLU crack the top 25 in both the NFCA and Softball America polls for the first time in program history. This year's Southeastern team currently ranks in the Division I Top 20 in 12 categories, including leading the nation with 21 shutouts and 30 triples. The Lions won all nine SLC series in 2026, sweeping six.
 
Burns is the first Southeastern pitcher to be named SLC Pitcher of the Year. The Booneville, Miss. native finished the regular season with an 18-4 record and 1.67 earned run average, while leading the SLC with a .165 opposing batting average. 10 of her wins came in SLC play, where she was 10-1 with a 1.28 ERA and held opponents to a .145 batting average.
 
Schneider earned first team All-SLC honors and was named to the All-Defensive team after a remarkable senior regular season. The Elkhorn, Neb. native hit .403 (.410 in SLC play) with a single-season school record and league-leading 20 doubles to go with 64 hits and 37 RBI. Behind the plate, she committed just two errors all season and threw out 13 of the 32 runners trying to steal against her.
 
Morris was named All-SLC for the first time in her career after a breakout sophomore campaign. Ranking among the Division I leaders with 78 hits and six triples, the Clinton, La. native leads SLU with a .406 batting average, a single-season school record 59 runs, 22 steals and 111 total bases to go with 12 doubles, three home runs and 32 RBI.
 
Detillier was named first team All-Southland for the second straight season and earned her first SLC All-Defensive nod. The Gramercy, Louisiana native leads SLU with nine home runs and 56 RBI to go with 41 runs, 55 hits, 13 doubles and two triples. The program's career leader in runs, RBI, extra-base hits, total bases and sacrifice flies, Detillier needs just three RBI to match the program's single-season record. In the field, she carried a .943 fielding percentage.
 
In her return to the Southeastern program, Watson was named first team All-SLC for the second time in her career. The Missouri City, Texas native shares the league lead with Morris with six triples to go with a .358 batting average (.408 in league games), 39 runs, six doubles, seven home runs and 31 RBI.
 
Ford was named to the All-SLC team for the first time. The Albany, La. native led the Lions with a .471 batting average in conference play (.382 overall), finishing the regular season with five home runs and 39 RBI.
 
Magee was named to the all-conference team for the third straight year, having earned first team honors in 2024 and 2025. In addition to her steady defensive presence at shortstop, the Watson, La. native led the team with 22 steals, 25 walks and 12 sacrifice hits to go with a .354 batting average (.390 in SLC contests), 41 runs scored and 58 hits.
 
Blanchard claimed her second All-SLC nod after returning to the program for her final season. The Metairie, La. native is third nationally with a 1.06 ERA (0.53 in conference play) on the way to a 13-1 record, including a 5-0 mark in conference games. She also did not commit an error this season on the way to earning her first All-Defensive selection.
 
Kulivan rounded out SLU's honorees as an All-Defensive selection in right field. The Covington, La. native backed up her best season at the plate as a Lion with near perfect outfield defense. Kulivan only committed one error and routinely took away hits, while also possessing the team's strongest outfield arm.
 
UIW centerfielder Victoria Altamirano was named SLC Player of the Year for the third straight season, while also repeating as the league's Hitter of the Year. Northwestern State pitcher Mattison Buster was named Southland Newcomer of the Year, while Isabella Flores of Lamar was tabbed the conference's top freshman.
 
The All-SLC teams and individual superlative winners were voted on by the conference head coaches and media relations contacts. Schools were not allowed to vote for their institution's nominees.
 
Southeastern will host the Hammond Bracket of the Southland Conference Championships Thursday through Sunday at North Oak Park. The No. 1 seeded Lions will open the postseason with a 4 p.m. contest Thursday versus eight-seeded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. All tournament games will be televised on ESPN+.
 
2026 All-Southland Conference Softball Teams and Individual Superlative Awards
Player of the Year: Victoria Altamirano, UIW
Coach of the Year: Rick Fremin, Southeastern
Pitcher of the Year: Hallie Burns, Southeastern
Hitter of the Year: Victoria Altamirano, UIW
Newcomer of the Year: Mattison Buster, Northwestern State
Freshman of the Year: Isabella Flores, Lamar
 
First Team
C | Cydnee Schneider | Southeastern
1B | Tatum Wright | East Texas A&M
2B | Shelby Morris | Southeastern
3B | Maria Detillier | Southeastern
SS | Kassidy Chance | McNeese
OF | Ka'Lyn Watson | Southeastern
OF | Nyjah Fontenot | McNeese
OF | Victoria Altamirano | UIW
DP | Kayleigh Lugowski | Nicholls
UT | Brynn Daniel | Northwestern State
P | Hallie Burns | Southeastern
P | Mattison Buster | Northwestern State
 
Second Team
C | Adelyn Becerra | SFA
1B | Brilee Ford | Southeastern
2B | Ellie Vance | SFA
3B | Bryanna Fuentes | SFA
SS | Chloe Magee | Southeastern
OF | Madison Moak | Nicholls
OF | Ayla Gonzales | UIW
OF | Alexis Dibbley | McNeese
P | Cera Blanchard | Southeastern
P | Molly Yoo | Nicholls
 
Southland Conference All-Defensive Team
C | Cydnee Schneider | Southeastern
1B | Sydney Zenon | UIW
2B | Claire Sisco | Nicholls
3B | Maria Detillier | Southeastern
SS | Sicily Windham | Lamar
LF | Laylin Sturm | Nicholls
CF | JT Smith | Northwestern State
RF | Colleen Kulivan | Southeastern
P | Cera Blanchard | Southeastern
 
2026 Southland Conference Softball Championships – Hammond Bracket – North Oak Park – April 30-May 3, 2026 (All games on ESPN+)
 
Thursday, April 30
Game 1 – No. 4 UIW vs. No. 5 Lamar, 1 p.m.
Game 2 – No. 1 Southeastern vs. No. 8 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 4 p.m.
 
Friday, May 1
Game 3 – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, 1 p.m. (Elimination game)
Game 4 – Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 4 p.m.
 
Saturday, May 2
Game 5 – Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser, 1 p.m. (Elimination Game)
Game 6 – Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, 4 p.m.
 
Sunday, May 3
Game 7 – Game 4 Winner, vs. Game 5 Winner, 1 p.m.
Game 7 is only necessary if Game 5 winner also wins Game 6
 
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