LAKE CHARLES – McNeese Baseball garnered national recognition as D1Baseball ranked the Cowboys 88^th in its latest Top 100 College Baseball Program rankings done on a biennial basis.
 
Started in 2015, the D1Baseball staff ranks the Top 100 programs they believe are in the best shape over the course of the last five seasons primarily. The rankings were started in 2015 and updated in 2017, 2019, and 2022 due to Covid-19 shortening the 2020 season.
 
The honor is the second consecutive time the Cowboys have been in the rankings after taking the 89^th position in the 2022 Top 100 for the first time ever.
 
The Pokes are coming off their fourth SLC Title Game appearance in five seasons during the 2024 season, taking home two Tournament Championships in 2019 and 2021 in back-to-back years. 2020 wasn't played due to the pandemic and hurricanes. The blue and gold defeated Central Arkansas in 2019 and Sam Houston in 2021 who are now in the ASUN and C-USA respectively. The victories propelled the program to NCAA Regional appearances in Nashville and Fort Worth.
 
McNeese claimed regular season titles in 2017 and 2022 for the top seed in the tournament, falling in the tournament in the quarterfinals in 2017 and to Southeastern in the championship series in the latter year.
 
Skipper Justin Hill took over the program in 2014 and has led the team to nine 30+ win seasons in 11 seasons, preparing for his 12^th campaign. Hill has been named the Clay Gould Southland Conference Coach of the Year in both 2017 and 2022 when the Pokes took home two regular-season titles. He's quickly climbed up the Southland All-Time wins leader board throughout his 11 seasons atop McNeese with 333 victories to sit eighth.
 
Notable player honors over the past five seasons (since 2019)
Three All-Americans

• Will Dion (2019)
• Cameron Foster (2022)
• Grant Rogers (2023)

Nine MLB Draft Picks

• Shane Selman (2019, Oakland Athletics)
• Carson Maxwell (2019, Arizona Diamondbacks)
• Cayne Uekert (2019, Chicago Cubs)
• Bryan King (2019, Chicago Cubs)
• Aidan Anderson (2019, Philadelphia Phillies)
• Will Dion (2021, Cleveland Guardians)
• Cameron Foster (2022, New York Mets)
• Tyler Stone (2022, Arizona Diamondbacks)
• Grant Rogers (2023, Toronto Blue Jays)

25 All-Conference Members

• Five in 2019
• Five in 2021
• Nine in 2022
• Three in 2023
• Three in 2024

D1Baseball Rankings #81-100
81. Georgia Southern
82. California
83. South Alabama
84. Old Dominion
85. Kennesaw State
86. Houston
87. Texas State
88. McNeese
89. Pennsylvania
90. Columbia