LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball team returns home for the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Softball Championship tournament that’s set to take place from Wednesday, May 6 through Saturday, May 9 at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.
Louisiana (28-26, 11-13 SBC) enters the tournament as the No. 8 seed and is scheduled to open play in the event on Wednesday (May 6) at 7:00 p.m. The Ragin' Cajuns are paired with No. 9 seed Troy (32-21, 10-14 SBC) in a first round contest.
The winner of Wednesday's Cajuns-Trojans contest advances to the quarterfinal round to meet No. 1 seed ULM (37-19, 19-5 SBC) on Thursday, May 7 at 4:00 p.m.
Television coverage is available on ESPN+ with Lincoln Rose and Genna Rose calling the action. Radio coverage is available on The GOAT 103.3 FM and 1420 AM in the Acadiana region and worldwide on Varsity Network with Cody Junot (pxp) and Bobby Neveaux (analyst) providing commentary.
The 2026 SBC Softball Championship marks the seventh time that Lamson Park – the site of the conference's inaugural softball tournament in 2000 – has served as the host site. The Ragin Cajuns' home facility previously hosted the tournament in 2000, 2004, 2011, 2014 and 2018, and 2023.
Tickets remain available, with individual session prices starting at $15 for general admission outfield seating and all-session prices beginning at $75 for outfield seating. Purchases can be made in advance online at RaginCajuns.com/tickets [ragincajuns.evenue.net] or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685).
Louisiana (28-26, 11-13 SBC) in Sun Belt Conference Championship
Dates: Wednesday-Saturday, May 6-May 9
Location: Lafayette, La.
Stadium: Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park
Tournament Opener:
Wed., May 6 vs. Troy – 7:00 p.m. (CDT) | ESPN+ | 103.3 FM & 1420 AM
MEDIA INFORMATION
SBC Championship Central [sunbeltsports.org] | Championship Bracket [sunbeltsports.org]
Season Stats (PDF) [s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com] | Roster [ragincajuns.com] | Schedule/Results [ragincajuns.com]
Television (through semifinals): ESPN+ [espn.com] | Talent: Lincoln Rose, PxP; Genna Rose, analyst
Television (Championship Game): ESPN2 [espn.com] | Talent: Alex Perlman, PxP; Kenzie Fowler, analyst
Radio: The GOAT 103.3 FM/1420 AM and Varsity Network [ragincajuns.com] | Talent: Cody Junot, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, analyst
Live Stats: CajunStats.StatBroadcast.com [statbroadcast.com]
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsSB [x.com]
TEAM INFORMATION
LOUISIANA Ragin' Cajuns
NFCA: -- | USA: -- | SBA: -- | D1S: -- | RPI: 52
Head Coach: Alyson Habetz (Louisiana, '95)
Record at Louisiana: 57-51 (2nd season)
Team Slash Line (AVG / SLG / OBP): .300 / .471 / .383
Team ERA: 3.79 | Opponent Batting Average: .277| Strikeouts (Pitching): 196
Stolen Bases: 49-for-67
2026 SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Game 1 – No. 7 Georgia Southern vs. No. 10 Coastal Carolina – 4:00 p.m.
Game 2 – No. 8 Louisiana vs. No. 9 Troy – 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 7
Game 3 – No. 3 Texas State vs. No. 6 James Madison – 10:00 a.m.
Game 4 – No. 2 Marshall vs. Game 1 Winner – 1:00 p.m.
Game 5 – No. 1 ULM vs. Game 2 Winner – 4:00 p.m.
Game 6 – No. 4 Southern Miss vs. No. 5 South Alabama – 7:00 p.m.
Friday, May 8
Game 7 – Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner – 3:00 p.m.
Game 8 – Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 9
Championship – Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner – 1:30 p.m. CT (ESPN2)
SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
All-Time Record: 75-11 (.872)
Championships: 18
Last Championship: 2023 (Lafayette, La.)
Current Streak: L1 (2025-present)
Longest Streak: W22 (2000-06)
Most Consecutive Titles: 7 (2000-06)
- League’s all-time leader with 18 titles won in the SBC Championship.
- Previously won the title at Lamson Park in 2000, 2004, 2011, 2014 and 2023.
- Among the 2026 field, most common opponent in the SBC Championship is Texas State – met 12 times.
- UL has won its tournament opener each year since 2010.
- UL landed the No. 1 seed in 21 of the previous 25 instances of the tournament.
- Played for the title 10 consecutive years (2014-19, 2021-24).
LEADING OFF
>> Louisiana enters postseason play on Wednesday, May 6 in the first round of the SBC Championship Tournament at home inside Lamson Park.
>> Louisiana, the No. 8 seed, secured its spot with back-to-back series victories over Coastal Carolina and Marshall the last time at Lamson Park.
>> The SBC Softball Championship returns to Lamson Park – the site of the conference’s inaugural softball tournament in 2000 – for the seventh time and first since 2023.
>> UL has played for the SBC Championship tournament title in all but three of the previous 25 events, last winning a title in 2023 at Lamson Park.
>> In the tournament opener, Louisiana and Troy meet in the SBC's postseason event at Lamson Park for the first time since 2011.
>> The Cajuns won the season series over Troy, held at Lamson Park, clinching on a walk off in extra innings in Game 3.
>> Louisiana has excelled at Lamson Park this spring, sporting a 17-7 mark behind .322 hitting and a 3.24 ERA.
>> Louisiana stands 35-15 at home in Alyson Habetz's tenure (18-6 in SBC play).
NOTEWORTHY
>> Five different players are hitting .340-plus at home, led by Haley Hart's .441 average (30-of-68).
>> Catcher Kennedy Marceaux led Louisiana with 30 hits in SBC play – one of only three players league-wide to reach the mark.
>> Overall, Kennedy Marceaux produced a 50-30 season in hits (53) and RBI (36), topped the Cajuns in runs scored (35) and generated 20 extra base hits while handling the catching duties in 47 of 54 games.
>> Kennedy Marceaux posted a 15-game hitting streak in SBC play from March 22-April 25, a stretch spanning six series that led her to a .390 conference-play average.
>> Mia Liscano has generated a team-best 15 multi-hit games. She paces the Cajuns with a .401 batting average, 55 hits, 15 stolen bases and 32 runs scored.
>> Mia Liscano turned in a career year at the plate, carrying a .390-plus average the final 40 games straight.
>> The team-leading 14 doubles, 11 home runs and 46 RBI all represent career-high totals for Brooke Otto.
>> In conference play, Brooke Otto paced UL’s efforts with a team-leading 21 RBI which ranked Top 5 in the SBC.
>> Freshman Haley Hart has emerged this spring with nine home runs and one of the top slugging marks (.624). She's generated a team-high tying 55 hits with .369 hitting and posted 39 RBI.
>> Haley Hart posted a solid 20-10 season in hits (22) and RBI (18) across 24 conference games in her debut season in the SBC.
>> Pitchers Sage Hoover and Bethaney Noble each claimed a complete game victory over then SBC-leading Marshall. Combined, they held The Herd to three earned runs and a .183 average over 21 innings.
>> Lexie Delbrey and Julianne Tipton returned to the circle in the regular season finale and delivered quality results, combining to toss 10.1 innings and limit South Alabama to six hits on .182 hitting.
ABOUT LOUISIANA
>> Haley Hart's walk-off single in the Marshall series opener marked UL’s seventh walk-off win of the season.
>> The Cajuns comeback knack, with seven wins coming after trailing after five, sparked by a 70-29 runs scored advantage over the sixth and seventh innings.
>> Louisiana is 20-2 when producing six runs or more and 23-5 when out-hitting the opposition.
>> The Ragin' Cajuns are unbeaten when leading after five innings (18-0) and six innings (18-0).
>> Louisiana's offense ranks Top 100 nationally or near there in average (.300), runs (284), total hits (413), home runs (45), RBI (259) and slugging percentage (.471) and scoring (5.3).
>> The Ragin' Cajuns have involved four arms in the circle with Sage Hoover (123.0), Bethaney Noble (101.1), Julianne Tipton (57.1) and Lexie Delbrey (50.1) each having worked 50-plus innings.
THIS 'N THAT
>> The Ragin' Cajuns seek a return to their championship and postseason ways in the 2026 season. Last season, UL finished third in the SBC and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999.
>> Louisiana was picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.
>> The two-time reigning national leader in total double plays turned, Louisiana's defense crafted 81 double plays over the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
>> The double play tandem of Cecilia Vasquez and Mia Liscano highlighted an infield defense that led the nation in double plays turned the past two seasons.
>> Acadiana-area softball star Kennedy Marceaux of Kaplan, the 2024 Louisiana Gatorade Softball Player of the Year, headlines the newcomers.
>> The 2026 campaign marks the 46th season in the storied history of Louisiana Softball. The program debuted in 1981 and since has recorded 1,947 wins, a total that ranks Top 5 in NCAA history.
>> The Louisiana Softball program's rich tradition includes six Women's College World Series appearances, eight NCAA Super Regional berths and 33 NCAA Regional appearances which ranks as eighth-most in NCAA history.
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Facebook (/RaginCajunsSB [facebook.com]), Twitter (@RaginCajunsSB [twitter.com]) and Instagram (@Louisiana.SB [instagram.com]) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Softball.
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here [apps.apple.com] for iOS/Apple platforms and here [play.google.com] for Android platforms.
Fans can support the softball student athletes, and invest in the program's future, through The Cajuns Edge Fund (click here [ragincajuns.evenue.net]) to contribute directly to the Louisiana Athletics and Ragin' Cajuns Athletic Foundation's revenue-sharing initiative or by joining the Centerfield Club (click here [ragincajuns.evenue.net]).