LAKE CHARLES, La. – Beginning a four-game homestand, McNeese Baseball (18-20, 3-9 SLC) will play host to Louisiana Christian (26-16, 16-11 Red River) at Joe Miller Ballpark Tuesday evening with first pitch going out at 6:00 p.m.
 
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Caleb Strmiska is slated to start for the Cowboys, facing another righty in Andrew Yuratich. The start will be Strmiska's fifth of the season, the first since he took the mound against Mississippi Valley State.
 
Both teams met earlier in the season in Pineville, La. when the squads battled into the 10^th inning with the Pokes taking a 6-5 victory. 

McNeese continues to be the conference co-leader in triples after both the Pokes and Privateers picked up one over the weekend to sit at 15. Senior Cooper Hext leads the squad with a third of the team's triples with five, also leading the Southland while sitting sixth in the nation.
 
Following the midweek duel, McNeese continues its homestand by hosting Southeastern for a three-game series Friday through Sunday.

Midweek Matchup
Tues., Apr. 23 vs. Louisiana Christian | 6:00 p.m. | Strmiska (0-1) vs. Yuratich (6-2)
 
Series Preview
• McNeese holds a 28-9 all-time series lead over LCU.
• The Cowboys defeated the Wildcats 6-5 in an earlier meeting this season.
• McNeese is on a five-game winning streak against LCU, three meetings at home and two on the road.
• Poke Nation is 19-2 when hosting the Wildcats.
• Both teams first met during the 1953 campaign.
 
McNeese Notes
• Cooper Hext is sixth in the nation with five triples on the season. Hext leads the conference while Conner Westenburg sits fourth in the conference with three.
• The blue and gold sit 18th in the nation with 15 triples tied atop the conference with New Orleans.
• Alexis Gravel's 10 starts place him 22nd in the nation and tied with nine other players for the top spot in the conference.
• McNeese is 58th in D1 Baseball with two shutouts on the season, blanking Northwestern and Mississippi Valley State.
• JT Moeller and Kainin Morrow lead the team in pitching appearances at 17 and each sits fourth in the conference.
• Max Swenson owns the lowest ERA of the relief pitchers q5 3.52 over 15.1 IP.
• Braden Duhon owns the best batting average on the team at .308.
• The Cowboys have earned at least six hits in 30 of 38 games this season.
• Thirteen pitchers on the Cowboys' staff have made at least one appearance through three conference series. All season long, 17 pitchers have pitched on the mound.
• The NCAA ranked McNeese as having the 17th-hardest strength of schedule in the nation before Southland play after taking on ranked opponents in Arkansas and Texas A&M, the second-to-last undefeated team.
• Cooper Hext was named to the SLC Preseason All-Conference Second Team.
• McNeese was slated to finish fifth in the conference in the SLC Preseason Poll.
• The Cowboys have 23 returners on the squad with 17 newcomers for the season.
 
Scouting the Opponent
• LCU faced Northwestern State and fell 4-5 in late March.
• The Wildcats are 2-8 in their last 10 games.
• Following the midweek meeting, the Wildcats will have four games left before the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament.
 
Last Five
3/6/2024             McNeese 6, LCU 5
4/11/2023          McNeese 3, LCU 0
2/19/2014          McNeese 11, LCU 2
3/29/2000          McNeese 17, LCU 3
3/31/1999          McNeese 13, LCU 1