LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA – The University of the Incarnate Word softball team will open their second season as Division I participants at the Louisiana Classic on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

In this new season, The Cardinals will not play a single game against any competitors that are NAIA or even Division II.  In this tournament, UIW will face Tennessee State on the Friday at 10 a.m.  On Saturday, they will play against the University of Central Arkansas at 10 a.m. and then another game against Eastern Illinois at 5:30 p.m.  Sunday will seem similar with the same order of contestants, but the first game will take place at 9 a.m. and the second at 11:30 a.m.

Incarnate Word has been preparing hard all preseason. Head coach Amanda Gamboa is excited about what the season will bring and is confident that the team's defense will be much improved over last year.  Mikaela Flores (Lockhart/Lockhart HS) is the top returning hitter after posting a .404 batting average and six home runs last year as a freshman.  Junior Monique Miller (Hewitt/Midway HS) was a junior college All-American last year and will be expected to produce at the top of the order.

The Tennessee State Tigers finished last season 18-38 and 6-20 in conference. Last season, UIW played Central Arkansas at home last year and went 1-2.  Central Arkansas, a Southland Conference opponent, closed the 2014 season .500 in conference (13-13). Eastern Illinois played very well last season going 38-17 and 17-7 in conference. They participated in the Ohio Valley Conference Championships and lost to SIU-Edwardsville, 4-2.
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