LAKE CHARLES – The McNeese Cowboys baseball team will finish their seven-game home stretch this weekend when it plays host to the Incarnate Word Cardinals in a three-game Southland Conference series at Joe Miller Ballpark starting on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
The second game of the series will be Saturday at 3 p.m. and the finale on Sunday at 1.
 
McNeese has dominated the series that began just a few years ago, winning eight of the nine games played.
 
The Cowboys (13-8, 2-1 SLC) are coming off a 1-0 blanking over Houston on Tuesday in a game that saw four Cowboy pitchers combine to throw a two-hit shutout. UIW (12-9, 2-4) defeated Texas State 6-1 in mid-week action this week after dropping a league series to Sam Houston State 2-games-to-1.
 
Senior center fielder Shane Selman is leading the Cowboys high powered offense with a .341 batting average, 28 hits, eight doubles, two triples, 19 RBIs, and is slugging .524.
 
Senior right-hander Rhett Deaton (3-1, 4.88 ERA) has solidified himself as the Friday starter for the Cowboys rotation and he will be back on the bump once again come Friday night for his sixth start of the year. In last Friday's win over Lamar, Deaton held the Cardinals to one run, none earned, and four hits in six innings of work.
 
Junior left-hander Jonathan Ellison (1-1, 1.00) will get the start on Saturday and senior right-hander Cayne Ueckert (1-0, 4.76) will be on the bump to start the finale on Sunday afternoon.
 
Ellison will be making his third start of the season and has tossed 17.1 consecutive scoreless innings over the last five appearances. He saw relief work against Lamar on Sunday after the Cardinals built a 4-1 lead through three innings. He threw 3.2 innings, allowing one hit and no runs as the Cowboys were able to rally for a 6-4 win and take the series.
 
 
UP TO THE PLATE
McNeese (13-8, 2-1 SLC) vs Incarnate Word (12-9, 2-4 SLC)
March 22-24 | Joe Miller Ballpark
Live Stats | Live Audio
All-Time Series: McNeese leads 8-1
 
 
QUICK HITS
• McNeese enters the weekend series winning two-straight, six of their last 10, and a 13-8 overall record. The Cowboys defeated Lamar in a three-game series (W 6-1, L 2-1, W 6-4) and beat the Houston Cougars (W 1-0) most recently.
• Senior center fielder Shane Selman leads the Cowboys offensively with a .341 batting average, eight doubles, two triples, one home run, and 19 RBI's.
• Junior outfielder Clayton Rasbeary also has a huge bat for the Cowboys, as he heads into the game with a hit in every contest this season except three games.
• The Cowboys currently have three starters hitting over .300 from the plate, Selman, Rasbeary, and Jake Dickerson.
• On the mound, Junior left-handed pitcher Jonathan Ellison leads the team. He has a 1.00 ERA, 1-1 record, 18.0 innings pitched, and 18 strikeouts in six appearances. He is one of three Cowboys pitchers with a sub-three ERA, including Brad Kincaid (2.35) and Brody Strahan (2.45).
• McNeese is batting .283 as a team and has a 4.82 ERA, compared to opponents' .236 average and 6.44 ERA.
 
ON THE OPPONENTS
• The Cardinals enter Friday's game with a 12-9 record. Most recently, UIW was beat in a conference series against Sam Houston State 2-1 and defeated Texas State 6-1 at home on Tuesday.
• This will be their second-straight conference road series and their third overall conference series.
 
ON DECK
Following the weekend series against the Cardinals, the Cowboys will be on the road to take on the LSU Tigers in Alex Box Stadium on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and then will travel to Huntsville to take on conference foe Sam Houston State March 29-31.
 
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