RUSTON – Louisiana Tech softball opens its 47th season this weekend as the Bulldogs travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., for four games in the Southern Miss Black and Gold Challenge.
 
Picked to finish second in the Conference USA preseason poll, the Bulldogs open the 2026 season Friday morning against Lipscomb, followed by matchups with UAB and SEMO on Saturday. Tech closes the three-day event Sunday morning against Southern Miss, which will be broadcast on ESPN+.

SERIES INFORMATION
Date/Time: Feb. 6-8, 2026
Location: Southern Miss Softball Complex (Hattiesburg, Miss.)
Watch: ESPN+ (Sunday only)
Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
Lipscomb Series History: LA Tech, 4-1
UAB Series History: LA Tech, 19-11
SEMO Series History: LA Tech, 7-1
 Southern Miss Series History: LA Tech, 36-18

ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH

Head coach Josh Taylor enters his fifth season at the helm after guiding the Bulldogs to a 32-25 record in 2025, marking his fourth consecutive 30-win season and giving Tech 27 30+ win seasons in program history. The Bulldogs finished fourth in Conference USA after posting a 15-12 record a year ago.

The Bulldogs will look for their eighth straight Opening Day win when they face Lipscomb to open the season. Tech has won seven consecutive season openers dating back to 2019 and have a 36-8-1 all-time record in season openers.
 
LA Tech returns four All-CUSA performers in Allie Floyd (first team), Reagan Marchant (first team), Elena Heng (freshman team) and Allie Furr (freshman team). Floyd was named the 2026 Conference USA Preseason Pitcher of the Year, while Marchant earned 2026 Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year honors.
 
Allie Floyd is set for her fourth and final year in Ruston and looks to capitalize on a strong 2025 season. After earning second team All-CUSA honors in 2024, Floyd took her game to the next level and earned First Team honors after leading CUSA in wins (22), strikeouts (182), innings pitched (204.0), appearances (41) and complete games (18).
 
The right-hander finished the season 22-13 in the circle with a 2.78 ERA, appearing in 41 games with 28 starts. She recorded 13 conference wins to set a new LA Tech single-season record and became the first Bulldog pitcher to register 150+ strikeouts in a single season since 2011. Floyd also tallied 20 outings with five or more strikeouts. The Texas native holds a 2.75 career ERA across 478.1 innings. She is 43-32 and crossed the 300-career strikeout mark last season with 309.
 
Reagan Marchant made her presence felt early and often last season after transferring in from South Carolina, quickly becoming one of CUSA's top hitters. Marchant broke the LA Tech single-season home run record with 18, to go along with a .313 average, 50 hits, 11 doubles, one triple, 53 RBI and 33 runs scored. Marchant recorded 30 extra-base hits and was the only Bulldog to total more than 100 bases (117).
 
Marchant became just the third player in program history to register at least 50 hits and 50 RBI in a single season. The primary first baseman tallied 11 multi-hit games and 18 multi-RBI performances, including four three-RBI games and two three-hit outings. Defensively, she recorded a .992 fielding percentage with 342 putouts, eight assists and three errors.
 
After starting all 57 games in left field last season and becoming just the second true freshman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove, Elena Heng is set to move to center field in her second season with the Bulldogs. The Airline High School product from Bossier City displayed consistency both defensively and at the plate during her freshman campaign.
 
The Gold Glover batted near the top of the Techs' lineup for much of the season, finishing her rooking campaign with a .321 average, 60 hits, 40 runs and six RBI. Her 40 runs led the team, while she also stole a team-high 16 bases. Heng led the team with 19 multi-hit games. She was perfect in the field, recording a 1.000 fielding percentage with 107 putouts and no errors with 114 chances. Heng showcased her strong arm with a team-high seven outfield assists, while utilizing her speed to track down and take away multiple would-be extra base hits.
 
Ruston native Allie Furr returns after earning All-Freshman Team honors a year ago. Furr appeared in all 57 games with 49 starts, including 44 at designated player and five in right field. She batted .259 with 41 hits, one double, one triple, 23 runs scored and five RBI, while recording eight multi-hit games and three three-hit performances. The redshirt sophomore is expected to take on an increased role in the outfield this season.
 
Fourth-year outfielder Alannah Rogers returns after playing in 54 games with 52 starts last season. She tallied 36 hits, 33 runs and 15 RBI. The Arizona native leads the team with 81 career hits across 113 games in a LA Tech uniform. Rogers will play left field this season with Heng moving to center.
 
Laney Johnson will provide depth in the circle as she returns for her sophomore season. The Stonewall native posted a 5-5 record in 2025 while finishing second on the team in innings pitched (70.0). She appeared in 22 games with 17 starts while registering three complete games and two shutouts. The six-footer tossed a no-hitter in a 9-0 win against SFA.
 
The Bulldogs return two talented catchers in Addison Snyder and Reese Torres. Snyder saw action in 37 games with 36 starts, 33 of which came at catcher. She batted .240 with 25 hits, seven doubles, one home run, 21 RBI, eight walks, and three runs. The California native registered a .987 fielding percentage with 133 putouts, 14 assists and two errors behind the plate.
 
Torres, a George Washington transfer, has yet to make her Tech debut after sitting out last season with an injury. The redshirt sophomore is back healthy and will look to picked up where she left off at GW. Torres played in 88 games with 66 starts for the Revolutionaries where she collected 50 hits, 41 runs, 39 RBI, 11 home runs and 12 doubles. The Virginia native posted a .969 fielding percentage.

Taylor and his staff added 10 newcomers to the 2026 roster, with three transfers: Avery Jefferson (Longwood), Ruby Fidge (Orange Coast College) and Rosalie Dufresne (Tallahassee State College) and seven from the high school ranks.  
 
Head coach Josh Taylor enters the year with a 135-91 mark at LA through four seasons. Taylor is now 368-259 in his career, with prior stops at Nevada (2017-2021) and Feather River College (2009-2012).

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