McNeese State will retire the jersey of former program great Erika Piancastelli in a ceremony scheduled for Saturday.
Piancastelli graduated following the 2018 season, but left an indelible mark on the Cowgirls’ program. During her career at McNeese, which stretched from 2015-18, Piancastelli was named the Southland Conference Player of the Year four times, earning the league’s top trophy in every year of her career. She was also named the conference’s Hitter of the Year each season.
During her career, Piancastelli broke and set thirteen career records at McNeese and in the Southland Conference, including recording the program’s career-best numbers in home runs and RBIs. She set both the conference and program all-time records for walks earned.
The “Italian Stallion” boasts a trophy case that is bursting at the seams; in addition to her conference Player of the Year awards, Piancastelli was twice named an all-American (in 2015 and ’16), and earned a quartet of all-region honors. She was named the Southland Freshman of the Year in 2015; an all-conference honoree four times; and the conference tournament MVP in 2016 and ’17.
After her collegiate career, Piancastelli joined the independent Scrap Yard Fastpitch team, and is a member of the Italian national team roster.
The Cowgirls will retire Piancastelli’s #16 jersey prior to the team’s game against Incarnate-Word on Saturday at Joe Miller Field in Lake Charles.
