LAKE CHARLES – McNeese baseball begins a stretch of four home games in the next five days starting on Tuesday night against Louisiana Tech and capping off the week with a crucial three-game Southland Conference series against Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
 
Southland Conference rules prohibit games to be played on Easter Sunday.
 
First pitch is set for 6:05 at Joe Miller Ballpark and will be broadcast on the McNeese Radio Network (KEZM 1310 AM and McNeeseSports.com). A video stream will be available on McNeeseSports.com as well.
 
The Cowboys (8-14, 6-3 SLC) are coming off a dramatic win at Nicholls on Sunday where they scored four runs in the top of the ninth to beat the Colonels for the first time in 15 tries at the Nicholls home field.
 
McNeese head coach has announced that senior lefty Austin Briggs will get his first career start on Tuesday night.
 
Briggs, a native of Conroe, Texas, has appeared in eight games on the season and has compiled a 0-0 record and a 7.50 ERA. He last appeared on March 17 against Stephen F. Austin where he threw one scoreless inning with a strike out in helping the Cowboys to a 12-3 win.
 
Offensively, the Cowboys are coming off back-to-back games where they collected 10 or more hits. The Cowboys are led at the plate by Andrew Bryan (.357) and followed by Shane Selman at .314 and Reid Bourque at .291. Bourque has seen his average rise nearly 90 points in the last two weeks.
 
The Bulldogs have put together a 19-7 record this season and have been receiving votes in several national polls.
 
Tech is hitting .282 as a team with Hunter Wells pacing the group with a .355 average followed by Dalton Skelton at .336 and Mason Mallard with a .327 mark.
 
Louisiana Tech beat the Cowboys 5-1 back on Feb. 19 after it scored all the runs it needed with all five runs in the second inning.
 
At 6-3 in the conference, McNeese is in fourth place and just one game behind SLU for second place.