Texas State softball reigns supreme in the Sun Belt once again, dethroning the Ragin' Cajuns in tournament championship – The University Star

A season's journey has come to an end for the Texas State softball team (44-13, 18-6 Sun Belt Conference) as it sits atop the Sun after defeating the University of Louisiana-Lafayette (42-17, 22). Belt Conference is -2 Sun Belt Conference) with a record of 9-5 and won the conference tournament Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Softball Stadium.

The Ragin' Cajuns entered the competition having won the last four Sun Belt tournament championships.

From the opening game, the energy at Bobcat Softball Stadium was unique this season. Almost every seat was filled, fans stood on the tracks, even the Bobcat baseball team sat on the outfield wall and watched from the other side of the field.

“How about Bobcat Nation? It doesn’t get much better than that,” said Texas State Head Coach Ricci Woodard. “How about [the Texas State softball team], to? It was fun to watch them from the start.”

The Bobcats came out and put pressure on the Ragin' Cajuns early in the opening frame. A few hits and some defensive errors by Louisiana-Lafayette allowed Texas State to score three runs early in the first inning.

Louisiana-Lafayette immediately responded with two runs of its own in the bottom of the first, setting the tone for the type of game this would be.

The Ragin' Cajuns added two more points in the third inning to take their first lead at 4-3. The Bobcats scored three runs of their own in the fourth inning to retake the lead, 6-4.

The big blow came in the fifth inning from senior infielder JJ Smith when she hit an opposite-field two-run home run to give the Bobcats an 8-4 lead. The four-run deficit was too much for the Ragin' Cajuns and led the Bobcats to their first Sun Belt Tournament title since 2018.

“Don’t settle. I think we were really good at that,” Texas State sophomore infielder Sara Vanderford said. “No moment is too big, no moment is too small, so let’s just keep going and see where it takes us.”

In the circle, senior pitcher Jessica Mullins did what she has done all year for the Bobcats: win. Mullins pitched a complete game, giving up 10 hits but limiting the run score to just four.

Mullins picked up her 30th win of the season. According to Woodard, it was never in question whether Mullins would throw a complete game or not.

During the trophy presentation, Vanderford was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. In addition to Vanderford, Mullins and Smith were also named to the All-Tournament team.

Texas State will now watch the NCAA Tournament selection show on Sunday night to find out its regional fate.

“I think this Bobcat Nation has excelled; I think this team performed,” Woodard said. “I think they’ve put themselves in a position to host a regional event.”

An NCAA Tournament Selection Show Watching Party will be held at Strahan Arena at 6 p.m. and is free and open to the public.