Troy University Athletics
Wednesday, May 6
Lafayette, La.
7 p.m.
Troy University
vs
Louisiana
No. 9 Troy Softball Opens Sun Belt Tournament at No. 8 Louisiana
5/5/2026 3:16:00 PM | Softball
TROY, Ala. – No. 9 Troy softball begins its quest for a Sun Belt title by facing the host team, No. 8 Louisiana, in the first round on Wednesday, May 6, at 7 p.m. The game will be aired on ESPN+.
The Trojans (32-21, 10-14 SBC) clinched their SBC Tournament berth with a game one victory over Coastal Carolina. In the conference tournament, the Trojans are 1-3 overall under head coach Eric Newell, with a 1-2 record in their opening game. The Trojans have met the Ragin' Cajuns (28-26, 11-13 SBC) before in the SBC Tournament under Newell, falling to the then No. 1 seed in 2024, 4-2, after dominating Coastal, 16-0, in the first round. All-time, the Trojans are 23-29 in the Sun Belt Tournament.
All-Sun Belt honors saw five Trojans spotlighted, with Megan Loftis and Ella Cunningham leading the way on the second team. Makaley Boswell, Abby Lovell and Mia Tidmore followed on the honorable mention team. Two of Troy's pitchers found their way onto the All-SBC teams as both Cunningham and Lovell rank in the top-10 for the SBC in hits allowed per seven innings at 5.73 (fourth) and 5.56 (second), ERA at 2.41 (fifth) and 2.60 (eighth) and strikeouts per seven innings at 6.6 (fourth) and 6.3 (eighth), respectively.
Through a 53-game regular season, the Trojans excelled at home with a 20-9 record. They also led the SBC in batting average (.319), doubles (86), stolen bases (101) and hits allowed per seven innings (6.48). In league play, Troy swept Georgia State and Georgia Southern for its series wins. Troy matched up with Louisiana earlier this season at Yvette Girouard Field, winning game one, 5-4, before falling in games two and three.
Game Information
Location: Lafayette, La. – Yvette Girouard Field
Matchup: No. 9 Troy (32-21, 10-14 SBC) vs. No. 8 Louisiana (28-26, 11-13 SBC)
Dates: May 6
Times: 7 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Stats: troytrojans.com/livestats
No. 8 Louisiana Preview
Louisiana comes into the 2026 Sun Belt Tournament as a 17-time winner. The Ragin' Cajuns last won the championship in 2023, when the tournament was held in Lafayette, La. However, Louisiana enters the tournament as the No. 8 seed after falling to South Alabama in the regular season finale, going 1-2 against the opposition.
Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and All-Sun Belt Second Team member, Haley Hart, leads the Ragin' Cajuns from second base with the 11th-best batting average at .369 and the 12th-highest OPS at 1.070. Kennedy Marceaux will anchor Louisiana as its lone All-Sun Belt First Team member, ranking 19th in the country and second in the SBC with a 32 percent in 'Toughest to Strike Out'.
Notables
• Troy enters the SBC Tournament with 32 wins, having head coach Eric Newell go 4-for-4 with 30-plus win seasons.
• The Trojans have stolen 101 bases this season to lead the conference and rank 16th in the nation. It's just the fourth time in program history that the Trojans eclipsed triple-digits for stolen bases and the first time since 2016.
• Troy finished the regular season as the SBC leader in batting average (.319), doubles (86), stolen bases (101) and hits allowed per seven innings (6.48).
• Abby Lovell became the first Troy freshman to reach triple-figures for strikeouts since Leanna Johnson in 2019, punching out 102 batters in 2026.
• Troy had five players earn All-Sun Belt nods with Ella Cunningham and Megan Loftis on the second team and Makaley Boswell, Abby Lovell and Mia Tidmore on the honorable mention team.
• The Trojans are 1-3 overall with a 1-2 record in their opening game under head coach Eric Newell.
• Troy searches for its first-ever Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship.
• Troy went 1-2 against Louisiana in the regular season series, winning game one before falling in games two and three.
The Trojans (32-21, 10-14 SBC) clinched their SBC Tournament berth with a game one victory over Coastal Carolina. In the conference tournament, the Trojans are 1-3 overall under head coach Eric Newell, with a 1-2 record in their opening game. The Trojans have met the Ragin' Cajuns (28-26, 11-13 SBC) before in the SBC Tournament under Newell, falling to the then No. 1 seed in 2024, 4-2, after dominating Coastal, 16-0, in the first round. All-time, the Trojans are 23-29 in the Sun Belt Tournament.
All-Sun Belt honors saw five Trojans spotlighted, with Megan Loftis and Ella Cunningham leading the way on the second team. Makaley Boswell, Abby Lovell and Mia Tidmore followed on the honorable mention team. Two of Troy's pitchers found their way onto the All-SBC teams as both Cunningham and Lovell rank in the top-10 for the SBC in hits allowed per seven innings at 5.73 (fourth) and 5.56 (second), ERA at 2.41 (fifth) and 2.60 (eighth) and strikeouts per seven innings at 6.6 (fourth) and 6.3 (eighth), respectively.
Through a 53-game regular season, the Trojans excelled at home with a 20-9 record. They also led the SBC in batting average (.319), doubles (86), stolen bases (101) and hits allowed per seven innings (6.48). In league play, Troy swept Georgia State and Georgia Southern for its series wins. Troy matched up with Louisiana earlier this season at Yvette Girouard Field, winning game one, 5-4, before falling in games two and three.
Game Information
Location: Lafayette, La. – Yvette Girouard Field
Matchup: No. 9 Troy (32-21, 10-14 SBC) vs. No. 8 Louisiana (28-26, 11-13 SBC)
Dates: May 6
Times: 7 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Stats: troytrojans.com/livestats
No. 8 Louisiana Preview
Louisiana comes into the 2026 Sun Belt Tournament as a 17-time winner. The Ragin' Cajuns last won the championship in 2023, when the tournament was held in Lafayette, La. However, Louisiana enters the tournament as the No. 8 seed after falling to South Alabama in the regular season finale, going 1-2 against the opposition.
Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and All-Sun Belt Second Team member, Haley Hart, leads the Ragin' Cajuns from second base with the 11th-best batting average at .369 and the 12th-highest OPS at 1.070. Kennedy Marceaux will anchor Louisiana as its lone All-Sun Belt First Team member, ranking 19th in the country and second in the SBC with a 32 percent in 'Toughest to Strike Out'.
Notables
• Troy enters the SBC Tournament with 32 wins, having head coach Eric Newell go 4-for-4 with 30-plus win seasons.
• The Trojans have stolen 101 bases this season to lead the conference and rank 16th in the nation. It's just the fourth time in program history that the Trojans eclipsed triple-digits for stolen bases and the first time since 2016.
• Troy finished the regular season as the SBC leader in batting average (.319), doubles (86), stolen bases (101) and hits allowed per seven innings (6.48).
• Abby Lovell became the first Troy freshman to reach triple-figures for strikeouts since Leanna Johnson in 2019, punching out 102 batters in 2026.
• Troy had five players earn All-Sun Belt nods with Ella Cunningham and Megan Loftis on the second team and Makaley Boswell, Abby Lovell and Mia Tidmore on the honorable mention team.
• The Trojans are 1-3 overall with a 1-2 record in their opening game under head coach Eric Newell.
• Troy searches for its first-ever Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship.
• Troy went 1-2 against Louisiana in the regular season series, winning game one before falling in games two and three.
Players Mentioned
UTL
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballEric Newell Postgame Press Conference (Louisiana SBC Tournament)
Wednesday, May 06
Eric Newell Postgame Press Conference (Coastal Carolina Games Two and Three)
Friday, May 01
Troy at Coastal Carolina Game One Highlights
Thursday, April 30
Eric Newell Postgame Press Conference (Coastal Carolina Game One)
Thursday, April 30