Northwestern State sophomore Mikayla Brown, the reigning Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year, will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Brown suffered the injury to her left knee on Feb. 13 in the sixth inning against Texas State while throwing a pitch.

The Deville, La., native won two games this season, allowing one run on six hits in 12 2-3 innings.

The Buckeye High School product had a stellar freshman season, recording a 13-4 record with a 1.56 ERA.

NSU coach Donald Pickett said Brown is expected to make a full recovery after undergoing season-ending surgery in the coming weeks.

“Mikayla really came on last season and established herself as a dominant pitcher,” Pickett said. “We will miss her, but that doesn’t change the expectations for this team.

“(Sophomore) Micaela Bouvier and (junior) Shelby Sells are veteran arms who are very capable. Bouvier is an all-conference pitcher and Sells was very consistent this past weekend. They can work together, and we can accomplish all of our goals that we need to accomplish.”

Bouvier, an All-Southland Conference first-team selection as a freshman, is 5-1 in the circle this season.

Sells (1-3), who has more than 20 career starts, allowed three earned runs or fewer in three of her five starts this season.

The Lady Demons are 8-4 to start the season and will host ULM on Wednesday at 5 p.m.