LAKE CHARLES – The McNeese baseball team opens up Southland Conference Tournament action as the Cowboys, who enter as the sixth seed, prepare to take on third-seeded Northwestern State Wednesday at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas. First pitch is slated for a 9 a.m. start.
 
For the second consecutive season, every game of the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament will be carried live by ESPN3. Chris Mycoskie will handle play-by-play duties throughout the tournament, joined by several announcers from around the league. For the title game, Mycoskie will be matched with color analyst Greg Swindell, a first-team All-American at Texas and 17-year Major League veteran. The left-handed pitcher was named to 1989 American League All-Star team as part of the Cleveland Indians, and was part of the Arizona Diamondbacks' 2001 World Series championship squad.
 
ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually.  It is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, plus on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN and ESPN apps. Games can also be streamed via Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.  
 
Each of the Cowboys' contest will be featured on KEZM - 1310 AM in Sulphur and Lake Charles and online at KEZMOnline.com, with Richard Dow providing the call.
 
The first-round contest between McNeese and Northwestern State will mark the fourth meeting between the two clubs this season. The winner of Wednesday's contest will advance and meet the winner the Southeastern Louisiana and New Orleans on Thursday at 4 p.m.
 
McNeese (29-23, 15-15 SLC) enters the postseason after coming off of a non-conference road trip at Washington State last weekend. The Pokes took three of the four meetings against the Cougars with WSU avoiding the sweep with a victory in the series finale.
 
The appearance marks the fifth consecutive and 15th overall for McNeese. The Pokes have had success in the conference postseason after having captured two tournament titles in 1993 and 2003.
 
The Cowboys will send senior right-hander Kaleb Fontenot to the mound for Wednesday's contest.  Fontenot is 5-5 through 14 starts this season. He has worked 99.0 innings, giving up 32 runs (24 earned) off of 78 hits and 31 walks along with 96 strikeouts.  Fontenot leads the team in victories, innings pitched and strikeouts. He has two complete shutout's to his credit and is over 200 strikeouts in his career.
 
McNeese's top hitters after 52 games are senior all-conference selection Connor Crane (.365, 74 hits, 18 doubles, two triples, nine homers, 15 steals), second-team honoree Lewis Guilbeau (.360, 12 doubles, one triple, one home run, 30 RBI), Ricky Ramirez (.303, 56 hits, seven doubles, two triples) and junior Matt Gallier (.294, 42 hits, five doubles, three homers, 30 walks).
 
As a team, the Cowboys are hitting a .278 clip, with 278 runs scored, 28 homers and 54 stolen bases.  On the mound, McNeese has a 4.00 ERA, with 11 saves, walking 173 and striking out 400 in 459.0 frames of work, posting a .971 fielding percentage.
 
The Demons are 33-22 overall and 20-10 in Southland contests. Northwestern State tied with Lamar, but won the head-to-head tie-breaker as the Demons defeated the Cardinals two times out of three in the regular season. Northwestern State, who is 22-38 in the tournament, is looking to win its first conference tournament title. The Demons are 0-5 all-time in championship game appearances, last making the finals is 2006. 
 
Northwestern State's leading hitter during the regular season was Cort Brinson. Brinson batted .305 with 13 doubles, one homer, 35 RBI, 27 runs and 17 walks. Daniel Garner is second on the team with a .303 clip along with 61 hits, 21 doubles, and four homers. Bret Underwood leads with 25 walks while five batters have 15 or more walks on the year. Nick Heath leads the team with 35 stolen bases.
 
The Demons will counter with SLC Pitcher of the Year Adam Oller against the Pokes in the opening round. Oller will make his 15 start on the year. He is a perfect 8-0 and holds a 1.31 ERA through 102.2 innings of work and has given up 23 runs (15 earned) on 76 hits and 27 walks. He has fanned 57 batters during the process.
 
McNeese and Northwestern State have faced each other seven times in the SLC Tournament. The two teams initially met in the inaugural tournament in 1993 and last met in 2006. The Cowboys hold a 5-2 record over the Demons in the league tournament.
 
The winner of the Southland Conference tournament earns the league's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. The field of 64 will be announced Monday at 11 a.m., CDT, on ESPNU. The tournament begins with regional play June 3-5 at campus sites. Super Regionals will be held June 10-12 and the College World Series will be June 18-28/29.
 
No. 6 Seed McNeese Cowboys (29-23) vs. No. 3 Seed Northwestern State (33-22)
 
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, May 25 – 9 a.m.
STADIUM: Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas
INTERNET: ESPN3.com – live video
RADIO: KEZM - 1310 AM in Sulphur and Lake Charles and KEZMOnline.com
 
Tickets are available for purchase at the Constellation Field box office, by phone at 281-240-4487 and online at sugarlandskeeters.com. Online orders are subject to a $2 service charge per ticket.
 
All-Session Ticket: $60
Single Day Ticket: $18
Children 5 and Under: Free
Students at Southland Conference Institutions: Free (with valid ID)