2019 Review

Northwestern State Softball A LOOK B ACK AT 2019

N SU qualifi ed f o r its seco n d straig h t So u th lan d Co n f eren ce To u rn am en t in 2018. Th e Lad y Dem o n s h o st in 2019 an d are aim in g f o r a h ig h seed a t Lad y Dem o n Diam o n d.

CHAMPIONS ‘91 ‘98 ‘99 ‘00 ‘15 50 The Northwestern State softball team was exactly where it wanted to be. The No. 6 seed Lady Demons won theirfirst two Southland Conference Tournament games as the tournament host, including knocking offrival McNeese in the night cap ofthe first day. But once in the winner’s bracket portion ofthe tournament, the Lady Demons fell to Nicholls and Stephen F. Austin, the latteraftera weatherdelay pushed that contest to the following day with NSU in the lead, only to have the Ladyjacks own that second day in an SFA win. The two SLCTournament wins were a step in the right direction, marking the first season with multiple tournament wins since the Lady Demons advanced to the tournament championship game forthe third straight season in 2015. The hope is the taste ofthat postseason success will set the stage fora memorable 2020 with all but one full-time position starterand one starting pitcherreturning. NSU finished 30-27 and 15-12 in the league, the first 30-win season since 2015. The 15 league wins is the most since 2015 as well when the Lady Demons posted a 22-3 markwith 36 overall wins. Three Lady Demons made All-Southland Conference teams led by first-teamerE.C. Delafield at utility. Second baseman Cayla Jones was a cornerstone ofthe lineup and made the second team, and outfielderEliseVincent had arguably the most consistent SLC season en route to a third-team honor. Delafield morphed into the pitching staff ’s ace, posting a 10-4 record with a 2.49 ERA. The sophomore also turned in a solid offensive performance with a .272 average and fourhome runs and 17 RBIs. Opponents tried to pitch around Jones as much as possible, but the sophomore still hit .335 with nine home runs, 35 RBIs, 41 runs scored and 36 walks. Vincent assumed leadoffspot duties midseason and hit .304 with 18 stolen bases. Kaitlyn St. Clairprovided a huge nonconference moment when she walked offa Boise State team receiving Top 25 votes in the season opener. NSU scored a win against ACC-memberBoston College, but the Lady Demons also lost every contest in two different tournaments. NSU had a great start to league play by winning the final two games at Sam Houston State against the eventual champion Bearkats, which included a 10-inning win in which freshman Maggie Blackdelivered a two-run double and Mikayla Brown picked up the reliefwin. The Lady Demons improved to 5-1 with a sweep ofAbilene Christian, but McNeese tooktwo ofthree to drop NSU to 6-3. But the Lady Demons were riding high aftera home sweep ofSoutheastern only to get swept at Nicholls. The boom orbust continued with a sweep ofTexas A&M-Corpus Christi before dropping a series 2-1 at Lamarand being swept at Stephen F. Austin. NSU closed the league season with a 2-1 win vs. Central Arkansas to lockup the No. 6 seed.