LAKE CHARLES – The McNeese State baseball team will continue its season opening homestand over the weekend as the Pokes welcome Bradley to Cowboy Diamond for a three-game series.
 
Due to possible inclement weather, the Cowboys' Friday night game against the Braves has been moved to a 3 o'clock start while Saturday's contest has been moved up to a 11 a.m. first pitch. Sunday's series finale is still slated to begin at 1 o'clock.
 
Also joining in on the action over the weekend is Southeast Missouri State and Illinois State. Wintry weather has forced the two teams to make the trip south to Cowboy Diamond to play their regularly scheduled three-game series. The clubs will play a game on Friday followed by a doubleheader on Saturday.
 
The Cowboys (4-1) are coming off a season opening sweep of Arkansas-Pine Bluff last weekend as well as a two-game midweek split with Louisiana Tech. The Pokes took the first game, 4-2, while the Bulldogs collected an overwhelming 12-2 decision the following day.
 
Expected to take the mound for McNeese are right-handers Kaleb Fontenot on Friday, Bryce Kingsley on Saturday and Trent Fontenot on Sunday. The trio has combined for a 2.50 ERA and have given up only five earned runs on nine hits. Together, all three hurlers have struck out 19 batters.
 
McNeese has six student-athletes that will enter the series hitting .300 or better with junior Cameron Toole leading the squad with a .667 clip. So far, Toole has gone 8-for-12 and collected four doubles, four RBIs and three runs scored. The Orlando, Florida native has also thrown out six runners attempting to steal.
 
Junior Connor Crane has become a catalyst in the lineup for the Cowboys churning out a .444 batting average along with three doubles, two homers and a triple as well as three RBIs and three runs scored. The first baseman also has two stolen bases on the season.
 
The Braves, led by seventh-year head coach Elvis Dominguez, come into the weekend with a 2-1 record following victories against Omaha and North Dakota State in their season opener.
 
Bradley enters the series batting .284 as a team and is led at the plate by Chris Godinez, who is 5-for-8 (.625) on the year along with a homer and two RBI.
 
A pair of right-handers is expected to start for Bradley this weekend as Elliot Ashbeck will take the bump on Friday, followed by Steve Adkins on Saturday. Sunday's starter has yet to be determined. The Braves' pitching staff is combined for an 11.33 ERA and has given up 34 earned runs on 42 hits on the season.
 
The meeting will be the first between the two schools. However, the Pokes are no strangers to opponents who hail from the state of Illinois. McNeese faced Big-10 member Northwestern in 2001 and also played two contests against Chicago State in 2014.
 
All three games will be featured on Cajun Radio 1470 AM in Lake Charles and online at CajunRadio.com. Tom Hoefer will provide the call for the game. Fans can keep up with in-game updates and other information by logging on to Twitter @McNeeseBaseball.
 
Fans will also be able to catch the game via live video and live stats by logging on to McNeeseSports.com/live. A 24-hour pass is available for $6.95 on the network while fans can also catch every game for a whole year for only $69.95.
 
Weekend Schedule:
FRIDAY
3:00pm - McNeese vs. Bradley
7:00pm - SEMO vs. Illinois State
 
SATURDAY
11:00am - McNeese vs. Bradley
3:00pm - SEMO vs. Illinois State (Double Header)
 
SUNDAY
1:00pm - McNeese vs. Bradley