RUSTON – After opening the season with 10 straight games away from home, Louisiana Tech softball will host its home opener Tuesday when Northwestern State visits Dr. Billy Bundrick Field for a 6:00 p.m. matchup. The contest marks the first of five home games this week for the Bulldogs. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
SERIES INFORMATION
Date/Time: Feb. 17, 2026
Location: Dr. Billy Bundrick Field (Ruston, La.)
Watch: ESPN+
Watch: latechsports.com/stats

The Bulldogs have won three straight home openers dating back to 2023. Tech will look to make it four in a row against NSU, who defeated the Bulldogs in the 2022 home opener.

ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH

The Bulldogs improved to 8-2 on the season after going 3-2 in the Mardi Gras Mambo. Tech earned wins over New Mexico (4-3), SIUE (7-3) and Georgia State (7-4), while falling to Eastern Illinois (4-2) and St. Thomas (8-2).
 
LA Tech recorded 43 hits over the three-day event, including 11 extra-base hits, six of which were home runs. Reagan Marchant hit her first three home runs of the season while Reese Torres added two. Freshman Bradi Gallaway finished with one home run. Cali Bennett led the team with two doubles over the weekend.
 
Laney Johnson improved to 3-0 in the circle after tossing a complete-game victory over SIUE. She allowed three runs on eight hits while striking out a career-high four batters. Allie Floyd moved to 2-1 after pitching five scoreless innings against New Mexico to earn the win in relief, while transfer Ruby Fidge picked up her first career victory against Georgia State.
 
Fidge owns a staff-best 1.40 ERA through 10.0 innings across three appearances. Floyd leads the team with 25.0 innings pitched and 25 strikeouts, while Johnson's wins are a team-high.
 
Reagan Marchant was named CUSA Player of the Week after batting .400 (8-for-20) with nine RBI and three home runs over six games last week. She delivered a walk-off solo homer in the bottom of the seventh to lift Tech to a 4-3 win over New Mexico and added multi-hit performances against Eastern Illinois and St. Thomas. She also drove in three runs against Georgia State.
 
Four different Bulldogs have 10 or more hits this season, led by freshman Aleah Brooks with 14. Elena Heng has 13, followed by Marchant (12) and Allie Furr (10). Reese Torres leads the team with 11 RBI while Marchant has 10.  
 
ABOUT NORTHWESTERN STATE
 
Northwestern State is off to a 3-8 start and is coming off a 2-3 weekend at the Mardi Gras Mambo. The Demons are batting .262 as a team and have been outhit 77-70 and outscored 58-40.
 
NSU has yet to hit a home run this season, while its pitching staff has given up eight long balls and a .280 opposing batting average. Brynn Daniel leads the team with a .414 average and 12 hits, the only Demon with 10 or more hits. JT Smith and Makynile Jones share the team lead with seven RBI each.
 
Mattison Buster has a 3-3 record across nine appearances and 33.1 innings in the circle. The LA Tech transfer carries a 2.31 ERA and has allowed 16 runs (11 earned) on 29 hits with 27 strikeouts. She has given up nine extra-base hits, including five doubles and four home runs.
 
Brooklynn Stohler is 0-2 and ranks second on the staff with 16.2 innings pitched. She has allowed 15 runs on 22 hits with six strikeouts and six walks.
 
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