The Troy softball team will compete as the No. 9 seed in the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Tournament, opening against No. 8 Louisiana on May 6.
The tournament match-up is significant for Troy, which aims to move past last season’s first-round exit and secure its first Sun Belt Conference title. The team is led by head coach Eric Newell, who has guided the Trojans to a record of one win and three losses overall in conference tournament play, including a one-and-two record in first-round games.
This year marks the second postseason meeting between Troy and Louisiana under Newell’s leadership; previously, Troy lost to the Ragin’ Cajuns by a score of 4-2 in the second round of the 2024 tournament. The Trojans earned their spot in this year’s bracket after defeating Coastal Carolina with a score of 4-2.
Troy enters the tournament following its fourth consecutive season with more than thirty wins under Newell. This season included series sweeps over Georgia State and Georgia Southern. Against Louisiana during regular-season play this year, Troy won one game but lost two others.
Pitchers Ella Cunningham and Abby Lovell have been key contributors for Troy, ranking among the top ten pitchers in hits allowed per seven innings (second at 5.56 for Cunningham and third at 5.73 for Lovell) and strikeouts per seven innings (fifth at 6.6 for Cunningham and ninth at 6.3 for Lovell). Offensively, Makaley Boswell leads all players in doubles with seventeen this season while teammate Kiley Huffman follows closely with sixteen doubles—placing both atop conference rankings.
Overall, Troy leads the Sun Belt Conference this year in batting average (.319), doubles (86), hits allowed per seven innings (6.48), and stolen bases (101).
The team looks ahead to Wednesday’s matchup hoping to advance further into postseason play.
