LAKE CHARLES – The McNeese baseball team will round out a nine-game homestand this week as it prepares to take on ULM in a pair of mid-week contests on Tuesday and Wednesday at Cowboy Diamond.
McNeese Athletics will be collecting canned goods and non-perishable food items at the baseball games this week for those that are being affected by the devastating floods in Northeast and Southwest Louisiana. Items will be collected at the ticket booth upon entering at Cowboy Diamond.
Food items collected during Tuesday and Wednesday's baseball games will be sent back with the ULM baseball team for those that have been affected by the flooding in the Monroe area.
Both games are slated to begin at 6 p.m. each night while Tuesday's contest will be broadcast live on KEZM – 1310 AM and online at kezmonline.com
The Pokes (7-7, 1-2 SLC) are looking to bounce back from a league series loss to Houston Baptist over the weekend. McNeese has won three out of its last five home games at Cowboy Diamond and is perfect in mid-week games at home.
Senior outfielder
Lewis Guilbeau had a breakout weekend as he opened conference play with a .538 (7-for-13) batting average along with a double, a run scored and an RBI. Guilbeau leads the team in overall batting clips with a .395 average. The Cowboys pounded out 29 hits, five doubles, a triple and three home runs against the Huskies while the pitching staff struck out 29 batters and walked just six.
Expected to take the mound for the Cowboys is right-hander
Bryce Kingsley (2-0, 2.08 ERA) on Tuesday. Freshman
Aidan Anderson (0-1, 13.50 ERA) will take the bump for McNeese on Wednesday. It will be the first start for both Kingsley and Anderson this year.
ULM (6-8, 0-3 SLC) was swept in conference action by Texas State over the weekend. The Warhawks have a 3-6 mark on the road this year and are 1-1 in mid-week contest.
Leading the offensive attack for ULM is Anthony Herrera who is hitting .324 on the year with 11 hits, three doubles, a homer and six RBI. Spencer Hemphill leads in home runs with three while Jacob Stockton has driven in a team-high 13 runs this season.
On the mound for the Warhawks this week is right-hander Josh Leone (0-1, 12.00 ERA) on Tuesday followed by left-hander Ethan Daily (1-1, 10.38 ERA) on Wednesday. The ULM pitching staff has a 5.60 ERA on the year and has struck out 89 and walked 50 through 127.0 innings.
McNeese and ULM met twice last season in Monroe. The Warhawks took both games and have won six out of the last seven games in the series. The Pokes' last win against ULM came in 2013 with a 6-2 win in Lake Charles.
