After two rocky games Thursday, SLU is backed into must-win situations if they want to take the Southland Conference and make the NCAA Tournament. Although Lions Baseball can still share the conference with UTRGV by earning 2 more wins or having McNeese lose 2 more times, all this accomplishes is the regular season title and the number one seed. Southeastern would still need to battle through the tournament and almost certainly win the whole thing to make the NCAA playoffs. As much as Southland has advocated for itself to be a two-bid conference, you can’t leave things open for chance, especially after Lamar was excluded from the tournament last year, even after an incredible 44-15 season. Even though the game was non-televised the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee almost certainly saw the result of the 13-0 loss for SLU, and even with two close losses with ranked Southern Miss, a 2-1 series win against UTRGV and only one lost conference series, the committee will throw that all out of the window if they believe SLU doesn’t deserve the bid over other teams. While Baseball is backed into a corner so is softball as after a close game that ended 2-1, SLU needs to win both consecutive games to win the series and clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament. McNeese has had SLU’s number all year as even though the Lady Lions took the first game in a softball double header against the Cowgirls April 4, McNeese still took the series outscoring Southeastern 12 to 8 in the last two games. While like in baseball SLU can certainly trust in the good faith of the selection committee, it is best to take things into your own hands and get to the post season on your own efforts. Southeastern will play Nicholls in baseball again Saturday in a doubleheader starting at 1 PM, while softball will play McNeese for the 2nd game of the Southland Conference Championship at 6 PM today.