Louisiana Tech softball players Elena Heng and Gracie Flores earned Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-Louisiana honors while six Bulldogs were recognized for academic achievement by College Sports Communicators.
Heng and Flores were both named second-team selections on the LSWA All-Louisiana Team, which is selected by a panel of the state’s softball sports information directors and media members.
Heng earned second-team honors as an outfielder despite being named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year and winning her second consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award as the nation’s top defensive center fielder.
The Bossier City native started all 56 games in center field and posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with seven outfield assists and 141 putouts. At the plate, she batted .326 with 56 hits, 35 runs scored, 10 RBIs and 12 stolen bases while recording 16 multi-hit games.
The honor marked Heng’s second All-Louisiana selection after earning first-team recognition in 2025.
Flores was named a second-team utility player after appearing in 41 games with 28 starts. The redshirt sophomore started 15 games at third base, 12 at designated player and one at second base.
Flores led the Bulldogs with a .423 batting average while totaling 44 hits, 19 RBIs and 11 runs scored. She recorded 13 multi-hit games and produced a 21-game hitting streak, the longest by a Louisiana Tech player since at least 2000.
The two All-Louisiana selections increased Louisiana Tech softball’s all-time total to 116 LSWA honorees.
In the classroom, Louisiana Tech bowling placed five athletes on the CSC Academic All-District Women’s At-Large Team. Honorees included Arianna Araujo, Frances Davila, Rachel Ong, Jenna Stretch and Kylee Trexler.
The group helped lead the Bulldogs to a 79-36 record, including 44 ranked victories during the regular season, a third-place finish at the Conference USA Championships and a runner-up finish at the NCAA Regional Championships in Arlington, Texas. The regional appearance marked the sixth consecutive season Louisiana Tech advanced to NCAA regional competition.
Stretch earned National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association First Team All-America honors and was also named a National Tenpin Coaches Association Third Team All-American along with Trexler.
All five bowlers were named to the CUSA Commissioner’s Honor Roll, while Stretch, Trexler, Ong and Araujo also earned CUSA Academic Medalist honors. Stretch was additionally named to the CUSA All-Academic Team.
Ong and Trexler each earned CSC Academic All-District recognition for the second consecutive year.
Louisiana Tech golfer Abel Derksen was also named to the CSC Academic All-District Men’s At-Large Team.
A business administration major with a 3.79 GPA, Derksen competed in 10 events during his first season as a Bulldog after transferring from Washington. He posted a 73.96 stroke average while recording 90 birdies and one eagle.
Derksen registered nine rounds at or below par, tied for third on the team, and carded a season-low 67 in the third round of the Linger Longer Invitational. He was also named a 2026 CUSA Academic Medalist and earned a spot on the 2026 CUSA Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
