RUSTON – The Louisiana Tech Softball team is back in action on Wednesday when it hosts Southeastern Louisiana for a 5 p.m. in-state showdown at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.
SERIES INFORMATION
Date/Time: Wednesday, Feb. 14, 5 p.m.
Location: Dr. Billy Bundrick Field (Ruston, La.)
Radio Broadcast: Listen
Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
Tickets: Purchase
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (1-0)
Louisiana Tech is 1-0 this season after defeating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 4-1 in its season opener on Monday night at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field. The victory marked the sixth-consecutive season-opening win for the Bulldogs.
In the season-opening win over the Islanders,
Brook Melnychuk and
Allie Floyd combined to retire 21 of their 23 batters faced and carried a no-hitter to the game's final out. Melnychuk pitched five innings of no-hit ball while tying a career-high with four strikeouts to earn her first victory of the season. Floyd also tied a career-high with four strikeouts in two innings of relief to pick up the save. With the win, Melnychuk became the first LA Tech pitcher to record a victory in back-to-back season openers since Lindsey Meadows accomplished the feat in 2001-2002.
Nicole Hammoude led the Bulldogs at the plate by going 2-2 with a double, a run scored, and a walk. The two-hit performance was Hammoude's second career multi-hit game.
Claire Raley would lead Tech with 2 RBI, while
Alexis Gilio and
Brooke Diaz also drove in a run, respectively. Eight of the nine Bulldogs in the starting lineup recorded hits in the contest, the most since April 23, 2023.
Right fielder
Kylie Neel carries a career-best 25-game reached-base streak into the contest against Southeastern, while third baseman
Claire Raley is currently on a seven-game hitting streak dating back to April 28, 2023, when she was at Utah State.
Throwing strikes and going after hitters has been a staple in the
Josh Taylor era for the Bulldog Pitching Staff. LA Tech has pitched 25 games without allowing a walk since 2022. In those 25 games, the Bulldogs have a record of 19-6. The Bulldogs have had an abundance of success when scoring first, as Tech is 52-8 when doing so under head coach
Josh Taylor.
LA Tech is led by head coach
Josh Taylor, who is 72-44 in three seasons at Tech and 305-212 in his career, with prior stops at Nevada (2017-2021) and Feather River College (2009-2012). Taylor's 71 wins through the his two seasons of his tenure were the most by a Bulldog head coach since NFCA Hall of Famer Bill Galloway posted 73 wins in the 1982-83 seasons.
ABOUT SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA (5-0)
Southeastern Louisiana had a dominant opening weekend at the Mardi Gras Mambo in Youngsville, La. The Lions went 5-0 with wins over Green Bay (13-0), Providence (2-0), UT-Arlington (3-0), Montana (5-0) and North Dakota (8-0).
So far this season, Southeastern has posted a .426 team batting average with 52 hits and 31 runs scored. In the circle, the Lions have yet to allow a run this season and are limiting opponents to a .121 batting average.
Four Lions are batting over .500 this season, led by freshman infielder Chloe Magee, who is batting .750 with a team-best nine hits and five runs scored. Catcher Bailey Krolczyk is arguably Southeastern's most dangerous bat in the lineup. The power-hitting senior is batting .533 with two home runs, two triples, two doubles and nine RBI. Krolczyk earned Southland Hitter of the Week honors on Feb. 12 due to her efforts during opening weekend.
The Lions pitching staff is led by Ellie Dubois, who is 2-0 with six strikeouts, four hits allowed, and one walk in nine innings pitched.
Rick Fremin is in his third season leading the Lions with an overall record of 233-134. Prior to Southeastern, Fremin spent time at Jackson State (2011-15) and Belhaven (2006-2010). In his 19 years as a collegiate head coach he holds 560-362 career record.
SERIES HISTORY
The Bulldogs and Lions have met 68 times, with LA Tech leading the series 50-18. Southeastern took the last matchup 5-4 on Feb. 15, 2023, in Hammond courtesy of a walk-off sacrifice fly from Bailey Krolczyk.
TICKETS
Season and single-game tickets are on sale and can be purchased at
LATechSports.com/Tickets or by calling the LA Tech Ticket Office at (318) 257-3631.
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Clear bags are required at all Louisiana Tech athletic events.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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