HAMMOND, La. – Alcorn Softball visits Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday, April 21, for the final midweek nonconference game of the 2026 regular season as the Braves take on the Lions at North Oak Park in Hammond, Louisiana, beginning at 5 p.m.
 
THE SCHEDULE
Tuesday, April 21
5 p.m. – at Southeastern Louisiana | North Oak Park | Hammond, La. | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep up with everything Alcorn Softball this season by following the Braves social media platforms. You can follow @BravesSports on X/Twitter and @AlcornSports on Instagram.
 
STATS & NOTES
▪ Head Coach Brianna Billie will not be in the dugout for the remainder of the season as she is close to giving birth to her first child.
▪ Yahnya Acevedo tops the Braves with a .352 batting average, followed closely by Rajayla McBride (.345) as the only two players hitting above .300 for the Purple and Gold.
▪ As a team, the Braves are an efficient 51-of-56 in the stolen bases category on the campaign.
▪ Alcorn must complete a pair of suspended games in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play against both Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Grambling State, while also playing a third game that was never started from the previous series in Arkansas last month.
▪ Mariah Morgan has recorded a team second-most 21 RBIs for the Braves, as she also has a team-high matching three home runs.
▪ Five different players have three homers for the Braves – Acevedo, Morgan, Paris Thompson, Olivia Miller and pitcher Alainah Felton.
▪ The Braves still have a shot at getting into the SWAC Tournament in Gulfport, Mississippi, but must win their games in-hand, as well as possibly sweeping the series against UAPB this upcoming weekend in Lorman.
▪ Chiara Olison and Felton have each tallied the two wins in league play in the pitcher's circle for the Purple and Gold.
 
HISTORY
▪ Southeastern Louisiana holds a commanding 34-1 edge all-time in the series against Alcorn.
▪ The Lions have won the last 19 consecutive ion the series dating back to 2015.
▪ Alcorn's only win in the series was a 3-1 decision in Lorman back on April 2, 2014.
▪ SLU took both ends of a doubleheader affair last year in Hammond by mirror 8-0 scores, and limiting the Braves to just six hits combined across both contests, respectively.
 
QUOTES FROM COACH BILLIE
"Southeastern Louisiana is playing really well right now, and we know that going in. But I think this is exactly the kind of game we need to prepare ourselves for what's ahead in conference play in this upcoming final weekend. We're not going to shy away from the challenge of a team that is red-hot and already clinched their regular season title."
 
"I've been really proud of how our girls have competed this season. We're going into Hammond with confidence. We know it's their house, but we've been putting in the work, and Tuesday night is our chance to show what we're made of."
 
"This is the last nonconference game before we shift our full focus to UAPB and a crucial series. So, it's a great measuring stick for us. Playing a hot team on the road tells you a lot about your program's character. I'm excited to see how we respond."
 
"We want to build momentum heading into the weekend, and there's no better way to do that than going into a tough environment and competing against a team essentially ranked in the top 30 of the nation. Our goal is always to play Alcorn softball – play hard, play smart, and play together."
 
SCOUTING SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA (41-11, 22-2 SLC)
Rankings: NFCA/GoRout Coaches – RV | ESPN.com/USA Softball – RV
Head Coach: Trena Prater (2nd season)
2026 Batting Average: .340; Runs Per Game: 6.0; Hits Per Game: 7.5; Slugging Percentage: .479
2026 ERA: 1.63; K/BB Ratio: 2.19; Opp. Batting Avg: .180
 
NOTING THE LIONS
▪ Southeastern Louisiana has already clinched the Southland Conference regular season title with a 22-2 league record.
▪ The Lions received votes for this week's Top 25 in three separate major national polls.
▪ SLU rolled off 25 consecutive wins until last week's 4-3 setback at the hands of SLC opponent Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches, Texas.
▪ As a team, SLU is hitting .340, and currently sits fifth in Division I with 462 hits across the campaign.
▪ The team is led at the top by Shelby Morris with a team-high .408 average at the dish, adding 53 runs, 73 hits and six (6) triples on the year.
▪ Home runs are supplied by Maria Detillier with a team-high eight. She has also supplied the Lions with 49 RBIs, while teammate Ka'Lyn Watson has registered five home runs and 23 RBIs, respectfully.
▪ Cera Blanchard (12-1, 1.14 ERA) and Hallie Burns (17-4, 1.36 ERA) currently rank fourth and seventh nationally in ERA.
 
RECAPPING ALCORN'S LAST GAME (at Prairie View A&M)
Prairie View A&M built an early lead and never looked back, scoring in each of its first five innings to close out a 7-0 victory over visiting Alcorn on Saturday afternoon and complete the SWAC series sweep of the Braves at Lady Panthers Softball Stadium in Prairie View, Texas.
 
In the bottom of the first, first baseman Caidence Martin singled down the left-field line to plate Isabela Rodriguez, who had reached and swiped second before coming around to score on the throw. The Panthers added a run in each of the second and third innings on an RBI bunt single from second baseman Kayla Zaid at the top of the lineup and another run-scoring knock from Martin, pushing the lead to 3-0 through three frames.
 
The offense erupted for two more runs in the fourth, with Zaid and Rodriguez each delivering RBI singles up the middle to make it 5-0.
 
Prairie View tacked on two more in the fifth when pinch hitter Hannah Comeaux doubled to left-center to score Kearstin Tinsley, and Martiza Martinez followed with a run-scoring single to right.
 
Zaid finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs, while Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a steal of her own. Martin was 2-for-2 with two RBIs before being replaced in the fifth. Comeaux, in limited action, went 1-for-1 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
 
On the mound, the hosts used a three-pitcher combination to keep Alcorn off the board throughout.
 
Madalyne Martinez earned the win, improving to 1-2, after tossing 3.1 innings and allowing just three hits. Gabrielle Larson bridged the gap with 1.2 innings of work, and Caden Young closed it out with a clean two innings, allowing one hit and striking out one.
 
Alcorn's Chiara Olison absorbed the loss, dropping to 7-16, after surrendering all seven runs on 11 hits across six innings.
 
The Braves managed five hits on the day, with left fielder Yahnya Acevedo going 2-for-2 while teammates Jamyiyah Cotten, Rajayla McBride and Karmen Bernard each added singles. However, Alcorn stranded eight runners and could not manufacture a run against the Prairie View staff.
 
UP NEXT
Alcorn celebrates "Senior Appreciation Weekend" as the Braves welcome Arkansas-Pine Bluff to Lorman, Mississippi, for what could potentially be a four-game series. The teams must conclude a halted contest, before then playing a three-game series beginning Friday, April 24, at 4 p.m.