LAKE CHARLES, La. – McNeese Baseball carries a four-game win streak into this weekend's series against HCU at Joe Miller Ballpark after winning five of its last six conference games.
 
The Cowboys and Huskies start the weekend off Friday with first pitch set for 6 p.m. followed by Saturday and Sunday's games beginning at 2 p.m. each. Prior to Saturday's game, graduates for both teams will be recognized. Sunday will see the annual recognition of all McNeese seniors as 18 members of the squad will be honored in their final home series of 2024.
 
McNeese brings in a 25-22 overall record, going 8-10 in Southland Conference play while HCU sits at 15-28, 6-12 in Southland action.
 
The Cowboys have claimed two consecutive SLC series with a 2-1 victory at home against Southeastern and 3-0 sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on the road. At home, the Pokes have posted an 18-9 record on the season.
 
Ahead of Tuesday night's game, junior Simon Larranaga was named the SLC Hitter of the Week after hitting .647 through four games with 11 hits in 17 at-bats. He scored seven runs while driving in six.
 
Conner Westenburg, a junior, leads the squad with a batting average of .314, collecting 26 extra-base hits on the season. He earned two of the team's seven doubles against Southern, the second time the Pokes posted seven doubles in a game this season.
 
Seniors being recognized this weekend are Daelan Caraway, Peyton LeJeune, Parker Stroh, Tyler Brown, Dean Bittner, David Carr, Cade Hart, Brian Shadrick, Brock Barthelemy, JT Moeller, Kainin Morrow, Zach Voss, Chase Keeton, Elliot Hebert, Ben David, Braden Duhon, Ty Abraham, and Cooper Hext.
 
There will be live stats available to those wishing to follow the action.
 
Series Preview
• McNeese holds the all-time series lead 36-18 with a 21-8 record at home.
• Both teams first met in 1970 with the Cowboys claiming the first 10 games until 1995.
• The Cowboys own 378 total runs against HCU for an average of seven runs a game.
• The Pokes are 6-4 in the last 10 meetings.
 
McNeese Notes
• McNeese is coming off its first SLC series sweep of the season, winning its second conference series in a row, the first against SLU 2-1.
• The Pokes have won five of their last six games and six of their past eight.
• Simon Larranaga was named SLC Hitter of the week after facing Houston and TAMU-CC, hitting 11-for-17, scoring seven runs and driving in six. He hit two home runs and a double.
• Cooper Hext is 12th in the nation with five triples on the season. Hext leads the conference while Conner Westenburg sits sixth in the conference with three.
• The blue and gold sit 27th in the nation with 16 triples and second in the conference, three shy of New Orleans.
• McNeese is 73rd in D1 Baseball with two shutouts on the season, blanking Northwestern and Mississippi Valley State.
• JT Moeller leads the team in pitching appearances at 22 while Kainin Morrow is right behind him at 21 appearances on the season.
• Max Swenson owns the lowest ERA of the relief pitchers that have thrown at least 10 innings in 4.58.
• Conner Westenburg owns the best batting average on the team at .314, collecting 26 extra-base hits, the most on the squad.
• The Cowboys have earned at least six hits in 39 of 47 games this season.
• Fifteen pitchers on the Cowboys' staff have made at least one appearance through six 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.
• McNeese has mad 11 straight appearances in the SLC Tournament, qualifying each year under the tutelage of Coach Hill.
 
Scouting the Opponent
• HCU has not played a game since taking on Northwestern State April 26-28, falling in all three games.
• The Huskies defeated #17 Louisiana on the road 10-9.
• HCU has taken series against A&M-Corpus Christi, New Orleans, and Southeastern.
• Against common opponents faced, HCU holds a 7-12 record.