McNeese State University is a public university in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Founded in 1939 as Lake Charles Junior College, it was renamed McNeese Junior College after John McNeese, an early local educator. The present name was adopted in 1970. McNeese is part of the University of Louisiana System and is classified as a Master's University. The selective admissions university consists of six colleges and the Doré School of Graduate Studies. McNeese is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and all programs of study are accredited by their respective national boards.
Cowboy Stadium is a 17,610-seat multi-purpose stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana. It is home to the McNeese State Cowboys football team, and is affectionately referred to as "The Hole". It was transformed for the 2008 season to artificial turf. The playing surface is named Louis Bonnette Field, in honor of McNeese's longtime sports information director. Louis' son, Matthew, succeeded him in the post and continues to hold it as of July 2016. The playing surface was replaced prior to the 2018 football season with Hellas Matrix turf. The $650,000 new surface as well as drainage improvements were funded by the same donor, Robert Noland, as for the 2008 installation.
The McNeese Cowboys and Cowgirls are composed of 14 teams representing McNeese State University in intercollegiate athletics, including men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, and track and field. Men's sports include baseball and football. Women's sports include volleyball, tennis, soccer, and softball. The Cowboys and Cowgirls compete in NCAA Division I, with Cowboys football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), and are members of the Southland Conference.
The Lamar Cardinals and Lady Cardinals refers to the college athletics teams of Lamar University, in Beaumont, Texas. The Cardinals and Lady Cardinals teams compete in seventeen NCAA Division I sports as a member of the Southland Conference. The Cardinals rejoined the Southland after spending the 2021–22 athletic year in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
The UTSA Roadrunners is a collegiate athletic program that represents the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). The UTSA Roadrunners are also commonly referred to as "UTSA", "Roadrunners", "Runners", “The Meep Meeps”, or simply “The Birds”, and are represented by the mascot Rowdy. The origin of Rowdy dates back to 1977, when the Roadrunner was chosen as the university's mascot by student election. The Roadrunners compete in the NCAA Division I Conference USA in 17 varsity sports. UTSA is San Antonio's only institution that competes in Division I FBS. UTSA joined the Western Athletic Conference on July 1, 2012. In April 2012, it was announced that UTSA would join Conference USA on July 1, 2013. Eight years later on October 21, 2021 it was announced that UTSA would join the American Athletic Conference. The UTSA Cheer team has garnered two National Cheerleading Associations’ (NCA) collegiate national championships, first in 2012 and again in 2021. The cheer team has also secured a pair of top 5 finishes in 2019.
The Nicholls Colonels are the 15 teams representing Nicholls State University, a university in Louisiana, in intercollegiate athletics. The Colonels compete in the NCAA Division I and the Colonels football team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Colonels sports teams are members of the Southland Conference.
Joe Miller Ballpark is a baseball venue in Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States. It is home to the McNeese State Cowboys baseball team of the NCAA Division I Southland Conference. Opened in 1965, the venue has a capacity of 2,000 spectators. Its record attendance came one May 2, 2000, when 2,191 spectators saw McNeese State defeat LSU 4–3 in 11 innings. The facility was renovated in 2005, 2007, and 2008. Not to be confused with Joe Miller Field, which is McNeese's softball venue.
The McNeese State Cowgirls softball team represents McNeese State University, located in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The Cowgirls are a member of the Southland Conference and participate in NCAA Division I college softball. The team is currently led by head coach James Landreneau and plays home games at Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond.
The 2014–15 McNeese State Cowboys basketball team represented McNeese State University during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cowboys were led by eighth year head coach Dave Simmons and played their home games at Burton Coliseum, with three home games at Sudduth Coliseum in the Lake Charles Civic Center complex. The Cowboys are members of the Southland Conference.
Lady Demon Diamond is the home stadium for the Northwestern State Lady Demons softball team. Located across the street from Prather Coliseum on the campus of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, the stadium features seating for 1,000 fans. Included in the 1,000 seat capacity is a combination of partially covered chairback and bleacher seats. The Outfield Club, located outside of the left field fence, provides additional bleacher seating. The stadium has field lighting, bullpens, dugouts, and a press box.
The Texas A&M–Commerce Lions women's volleyball team is the women's intercollegiate volleyball program representing Texas A&M University–Commerce. The school competes in the Southland Conference (SLC) in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). For the first 44 years of existence, they competed in the Lone Star Conference of Division II. The A&M–Commerce women's volleyball team plays its home games at the University Field House on the university campus in Commerce, Texas. The Lions have won two conference regular-season titles, an LSC tournament championship, and have appeared in the NCAA tournament on five occasions, three times during the tenure of head coach Kathy Goodlett (1983–89) and two under current head coach Craig Case. The team is currently coached by Craig Case.
The 2015–16 McNeese State Cowboys basketball team represented McNeese State University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cowboys were led by tenth year head coach Dave Simmons and played their home games at Burton Coliseum. The Cowboys were members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season with a record of 8–21, 6–12 in Southland play to finish in eighth place. They lost to Nicholls State in the first round of the Southland tournament.
The 2016 Southland Conference tournament was held at Cowgirl Diamond on the campus of McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, from May 11 through 13, 2016. The tournament winner, the McNeese State Cowgirls, earned the Southland Conference's automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Division I softball tournament. The Championship game was broadcast on ESPN3 with the remainder of the tournament airing on the Southland Digital Network.
The 2009 Southland Conference tournament was held at Cowgirl Diamond on the campus of McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, from May 7 through May 9, 2009. The tournament winner, Texas State, earned the Southland Conference's automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Division I softball tournament.
The Lamar Soccer Complex, built in 2009 on the campus of Lamar University, is a soccer facility located in Beaumont, Texas. It is the home stadium for the Division I (NCAA) Lamar Lady Cardinals soccer team. The stadium has a permanent seating capacity of 500. Stadium features include covered benches for both the home and visiting teams, lighting, and a programmable fertilization and irrigation system. Construction of the stadium began on June 15, 2009. Construction cost of the soccer field and adjacent Lamar Soccer and Softball Complex building was $3,724,920. The stadium and supporting Lamar Soccer and Softball Complex building were part of a $29 million athletic construction project.
Erika Piancastelli is an Italian-American professional softball catcher. She plays international softball for Italy and competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Born in Italy, Piancastelli eventually went to play college softball at McNeese State, where she holds multiple career records.
The 2019–20 McNeese State Cowboys basketball team represented McNeese State University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cowboys, led by second-year head coach Heath Schroyer, played their home games at the Health and Human Performance Education Complex in Lake Charles, Louisiana as members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 15–17, 10–10 in Southland play to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place. They lost in the first round of the Southland tournament to Lamar.
The 2017 Southland Conference tournament was held at Farris Field on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Arkansas from May 10 through 12, 2017. The tournament winner, the McNeese State Cowgirls, earned the Southland Conference's automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Division I softball tournament. The Championship game was broadcast on ESPN3 with the remainder of the tournament airing on the Southland Digital Network.
The 2021 McNeese State Cowgirls softball team represented McNeese State University during the 2021 NCAA Division I softball season. The Cowgirls played their home games at Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond and were led by fifth year head coach James Landreneau. They were members of the Southland Conference.
The 2022 McNeese State Cowgirls softball team represented McNeese State University during the 2022 NCAA Division I softball season. The Cowgirls played their home games at Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond and were led by sixth-year head coach James Landreneau. They were members of the Southland Conference.
