LAKE CHARLES – The McNeese baseball team will finish out a four-game road trip this weekend as the Pokes invade San Antonio for a three-game series against the Roadrunners of UTSA.
The series is set to begin Friday at 6 p.m. followed by a Saturday contest at 2 p.m. and will conclude Sunday starting at 1 o'clock.
Fans can follow all of the action on live stats and live audio by logging on to www.GoUTSA.com or by following @McNeeseBaseball on Twitter.
McNeese (2-2) is looking to bounce back from a mid-week defeat at the hands of No. 9 Houston, 14-1, on Tuesday. Despite the loss, the Cowboys recorded seven hits in the game and committed just one error. The squad's .980 fielding percentage on the season ranks second best in the Southland Conference.
Junior
Ricky Ramirez holds the best batting clip on the team with a .375 average along with six hits, three runs and .412 on-base percentage. Ramirez is the only Cowboy to have hit multiple times in two or more games this year. Junior
Will Fox has hit in three consecutive contests while senior
Connor Crane has reached base in all four games. The two trail Ramirez in batting averages.
McNeese will go with the same rotation as last weekend when it takes the to the diamond this weekend. Friday starter
Kaleb Fontenot will lead the charge, followed by LHP
Bryan King on Saturday. RHP
Ethan Stremmel will close out the series with a start on the bump Sunday.
The three starters combined for a 2.59 ERA last weekend having allowed only three earned runs in 17 innings of work. Together, the trio struck out 16 total batters and allowed only two walks.
UTSA (3-1) enjoyed a series victory against Connecticut over the weekend as well as a mid-week victory at Sam Houston State. The Roadrunners are off to their best start since 2014 as they prepare to welcome McNeese this weekend.
Skyler Valentine will lead the offensive charge for UTSA this weekend with a .353 batting average along with six hits and a double. The Roadrunners have score 22 runs in their first four contests and drawn 14 walks for a .327 on-base percentage.
Starting this weekend for UTSA is right-hander Chance Kirby on Friday. Kirby has a 1.08 ERA in two appearances this season. Saturday's starter will be Karen Patel who has worked 4.1 innings so far this season with a 4.15 ERA. Sunday's starter has yet to be determined.
McNeese has faced UTSA 65 times in program history with the Roadrunners leading the all-time series 33-32. The Pokes first met UTSA back in 1992 taking the first meeting 3-0 on the way to a series win against the Roadrunners that season. McNeese swept the three-game series last season in Lake Charles.
