LAKE CHARLES – McNeese baseball returns to The Jeaux on Wednesday when the Cowboys host Louisiana-Monroe just eight days after breaking school records in runs and hits in a 32-4 win over the Warhawks.
 
First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Joe Miller Ballpark as the Cowboys open up a five-game home stand.
 
McNeese (4-4) is coming off a four-game sweep at the hands of 7^th-ranked Arizona but showed a lot of aggressiveness at the plate as the Cowboys took early leads in all four games.
 
The Cowboys are ranked second in the Southland Conference with a .306 team batting average, slugging (.451) and on-base percentage (.413) while topping the league with 73 runs scored.
 
Left fielder Shane Selman, a starter in all eight games, tops the team with a .379 batting average while shortstop Nate Fisbeck leads the squad with three home runs and 14 runs batted in. Fisbeck leads the league in both of those categories as well.
 
On the mound, head coach Justin Hill will pitch Wednesday's game by committee, starting with weekend starter Bryan King who is only expected to throw one or two innings.
 
King (1-1, 6.14 ERA) lasted just 3 1/3 innings at Arizona after he allowed four runs on six hits.
 
Hill said he'd like to see more innings from reliever and first year pitcher Grant Ashcraft, who is also a quarterback on McNeese's football team.
 
Ashcraft has appeared in two games on the year and has allowed one run in three innings with two strikeouts.
 
ULM (3-4) played at Jackson State on Tuesday night before visiting McNeese, then will play its next eight games away from home starting with a three-game series at Alabama followed by two at Arkansas and three more at Alabama-Birmingham.
 
After Wednesday's game, the Cowboys will open up a three-game weekend series against Prairie View on Friday at 6.