PINEVILLE, La. — The University of teh Southwest Lady Mustangs' 2026 softball season came to an end this week at the Red River Athletic Conference Softball Championship Tournament, as Southwest competed in two hard‑fought games over the first two days of the event.
The Lady Mustangs opened tournament play on Thursday against a strong conference opponent. Despite the early challenges, Southwest continued to battle in the box and showed resilience throughout the contest, generating offense and gaining valuable postseason experience against top competition.
Facing elimination, Southwest returned to the field Saturday, after a delay due to weather in the area, with its season on the line and delivered a determined performance. The Lady Mustangs struck early, responded to momentum swings, and remained within striking distance throughout a tightly contested game. Southwest stayed disciplined at the plate, came up with timely hits in the middle innings, and put pressure on the opposition late while pushing the game deep.
The Lady Mustangs mounted a final rally in their last at‑bat, but ultimately could not push across the tying run, bringing the 2026 campaign to a close.
Southwest concludes the season with a postseason showing defined by competitiveness, grit, and determination until the final out. The Lady Mustangs' effort at the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament showcased the growth and fight of the program and provided a strong foundation moving forward.
Head Coach Chris Petroski
On the fight the girls had against A&M-Victoria…
"Our main goal was to compete when we came down here and that's what we did against A&M-Victoria. There was just a little tough one inning and that was kind of the storyline all year with a lot of the games. One inning. Some mistakes defensively and some walks here and there. That's what kind of cost us to fight for the rest of the game. Our girls did fight, but even later in the game with two outs, when they got on, they just ended up scoring. We fought all seven [innings]. Even though that last inning, with bases loaded and that little blooper, it could've made a big difference, but I'm proud of the way the girls fought."
On the mindset and things done during rain delays…
"Our GA did a great job getting a lot of donations for this tournament and for the girls to experience it. Some of the girls have been here before, but a lot of the freshman and transfers haven't, so she just wanted to make sure that they had a good time. We got to explore Alexandria quite a bit this week. We did a little movie and with the rain yesterday, I think all of the teams were there. We did a little bowling, just to loosen things up and we went to some nice restaurants as well."
On building next year…
"That's our goal every year. Unfortunately, we would like to have been a higher seed, but we have to fight during the year for that. We did come across a lot of injuries this year. Which held us from competing a little harder and possibly getting more wins. Hopefully, starting the season at full strength and hopefully ending the season at full strength as well."
