McNeese pitcher Whitney Tate has been recognized by the Southland Conference as the Softball Student-Athlete of the Year for 2023.
The senior from Columbia, LA is the first Cowgirl to receive the honor since Erika Piancastelli won it in both 2016 and 2017.
Tate had a 3.9 GPA in Biology with a concentration in Pre-Med while being one of six Cowgirls named to the Southland Conference’s all-academic team. Tate led McNeese to its second straight regional championship game and helped post a school record 47 wins while being a first-team all-conference player and on the Southland tournament team.
Tate led McNeese with a 1.26 ERA, 166.1 innings pitched, and nine shutouts on the season. She finished second on the team in wins (18) and strikeouts (81) while having three one-hit performances.
Joining Tate on the first team for McNeese are Chloe Gomez, Alayis Seneca, and Ashley Vallejo while Kaylee Lope and Shaelyn Sanders were placed on the second team.
All-Academic teams are voted on by the head coaches, sports information directors, and other staff members from each member institution in the Southland Conference. Student-athletes must hold a 3.0 cumulative GPA while completing a full academic year at the school to qualify for All-Academic selection. Also, position players must compete in at least 50 percent of their team’s contests during the season.