Game Details: McNeese (17-14, 3-0 SLC) vs. Houston Baptist (10-16, 0-3 SLC)
Date: Friday, April 1 (6 p.m.); Saturday, April 2 (1 p.m./DH)
Location: Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond
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LAKE CHARLES – McNeese softball will host Houston Baptist in a three-game Southland Conference series this weekend that will mark the beginning of a 10-game home stand. The opening game of the series is set for Friday, April 1 at 6 p.m. with a doubleheader 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday, April 2. Friday's game will broadcast live on ESPN+, the first of six McNeese softball ESPN+ productions this season.
McNeese (17-14, 3-0 SLC) will look to continue its five-game winning streak into the weekend. The Cowgirls opened conference play with a series sweep over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi followed by a 7-5 win against UL-Monroe Tuesday night.
Jil Poullard continues to lead the Cowgirls at the plate with a .362 batting average, a .638 slugging percentage, 16 walks, six doubles, three home runs, and 20 RBI. Poullard and Reese Reyna are tied for a team high of 12 stolen bases. Alayis Seneca, Josie Willingham and Poullard all lead the team with 25 hits. Crislyne Moreno is second on the team with a .362 batting average, is second on the team with .451 slugging percent and is third on the team with 13 RBI.
Shaelyn Sanders (5-0) leads the Cowgirls' pitching staff with a 1.59 ERA and one save during her 44.0 innings of action. With a 3.01 ERA and 79.0 innings of action in the circle, Ashley Vallejo (7-6) leads the Cowgirls with 61 strikeouts.
HBU (10-16, 0-3 SLC) is currently on a seven-game losing streak including a Southland Conference home opening series loss against Northwestern State and a 9-1 run-rule loss at Lamar Tuesday night.
The Huskies are led by Shelby Echols with a .482 batting average, a .588 slugging percentage, 19 runs scored, 41 hits, and 50 total bases. The pitching staff is led by Lyndie Swanson (4-3) with a 2.77 ERA in 55.2 innings of work. Swanson and Sarah Venker (1-6) are tied with 42 strikeouts. Venker has a 3.96 ERA and has seen action in 53.0 innings.
The last meeting between the Huskies and the Cowgirls was a 2019 three-game series in Houston where the Cowgirls picked up two out of the three wins.
