LAKE CHARLES – The McNeese Cowboy baseball team will open up the 2019 season on Friday when it travels to San Antonio to take on the UTSA Roadrunners.
First pitch for Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. followed by a 3 o'clock game on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
"It's time to play somebody else," said sixth-year head coach Justin Hil. "There's a lot of competition this year. We lost some guys that were key contributors for us last year to graduation and the draft. We have a lot of guys returning and a lot of new players who did a good job in the fall."
The Cowboys return two of their top three offensive players from last season, including preseason all-conference senior outfielder
Shane Selman (.273, 10 HR, 32 RBI) and senior third baseman
Carson Maxwell (.295, 6 HR, 37 RBI).
On the mound, McNeese will open up the first weekend with
Rhett Deaton returning to the mound after missing all last season due to an injury. The starter for game two and three have yet to be determined.
In 2017, Deaton's last year of work, he made 14 starts on the mound and put up an 8-3 record 3.78 ERA, one complete game, and 48 strikeouts in 78.2 innings pitched.
One of the top guys out of the pen last year was
Aidan Anderson who will be returning for his senior season. Anderson posted a 5-6 record last year with a 3.30 ERA and a team leading 72 strikeouts in 62.2 innings pitched.
Other returners who are expected to be in the lineup include catcher
Dustin Duhon (.272, 50 H, 29 RBI), shortstop
Reid Bourque (.267, 54 H, 25 RBI), and outfielder
Jacob Stracner (.257, 55 H, 9 HR, 30 RBI).
The Cowboys will be opening up on the road for the first time in six seasons under Hill.
This will be the second straight year the two teams meet, with the Roadrunners sweeping the Cowboys at Joe Miller Ballpark in a three game series last March. The two teams first met in 2005 and UTSA currently holds a five-game winning streak against the Cowboys. McNeese will look to put that streak to an end come Friday night.
Cowboy fans can follow the game through the live stats link on mcneesesports.com or follow @McNeeseBaseball on Twitter for live game updates.
