2021 McNeese State Cowboys baseball team

2021 McNeese State Cowboys baseball
2021 McNeese State Cowboys baseball
Fort Worth Regional appearance; Southland Conference Tournament champions
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	32–30 (21–18 Southland)
Head coach	Justin Hill (8th season);
Assistant coaches	Nick Zaleski; Jim Ricklefsen;
Home stadium	Joe Miller Ballpark
	Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

The 2021 McNeese State Cowboys baseball team represented McNeese State University during the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Cowboys played their home games at Joe Miller Ballpark and were led by eighth–year head coach Justin Hill. They were members of the Southland Conference.

2021 Southland Conference baseball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Abilene Christian ‍†‍‍	25	–	13	.658	36	–	21	.632
Texas A&M–Corpus Christi ‍‍‍	20	–	14	.588	25	–	29	.463
New Orleans ‍‍‍	23	–	17	.575	29	–	28	.509
Sam Houston State ‍‍‍	20	–	15	.571	30	–	25	.545
Southeastern Louisiana ‍‍‍	22	–	17	.564	32	–	24	.571
Northwestern State ‍‍‍	20	–	16	.556	27	–	26	.509
McNeese State ‍‍‡‍^y	21	–	18	.538	32	–	30	.516
Lamar ‍‍‍	17	–	19	.472	25	–	23	.521
Central Arkansas ‍‍‍	18	–	22	.450	23	–	28	.451
Stephen F. Austin ‍‍‍	17	–	22	.436	20	–	31	.392
Incarnate Word ‍‍‍	17	–	23	.425	21	–	28	.429
Nicholls ‍‍‍	16	–	24	.400	21	–	34	.382
Houston Baptist ‍‍‍	11	–	27	.289	14	–	38	.269

† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 6, 2021^[1] Rankings from D1Baseball

Preseason

Southland Conference Coaches Poll

The Southland Conference Coaches Poll was released on February 11, 2021 and the Cowboys were picked to finish third in the conference with 244 votes and one first place vote.^[2]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Coaches poll
1	Sam Houston State	276 (17)
2	Central Arkansas	247 (5)
3	McNeese State	244 (1)
4	Southeastern Louisiana	243 (3)
5	Northwestern State	193
6	Texas A&M–Corpus Christi	146
7	Incarnate Word	144
8	Nicholls	108
9	New Orleans	101
10	Abilene Christian	98
11	Stephen F. Austin	92
12	Lamar	87
13	Houston Baptist	49

Preseason All-Southland Team & Honors

^[3]

First Team

Ryan Flores (UIW, 1st Base)
Nate Fisbeck (MCNS, 2nd Base)
Beau Orlando (UCA, 3rd Base)
JC Correa (LAMR, Shortstop)
Gavin Johnson (SHSU, Catcher)
Clayton Rasbeary (MCNS, Designated Hitter)
Sean Arnold (UIW, Outfielder)
Brandon Bena (HBU, Outfielder)
Colton Cowser (SHSU, Outfielder)
Noah Cameron (UCA, Pitcher)
Will Dion (MCNS, Pitcher)
Kyle Gruller (HBU, Pitcher)
Conner Williams (UCA, Pitcher)
Itchy Burts (TAMUCC, Utility)

Second Team

Preston Faulkner (SELA, 1st Base)
Logan Berlof (LAMR, 2nd Base)
Anthony Quirion (LAMR, 3rd Base)
Reid Bourque (MCNS, Shortstop)
Chris Sandberg (NICH, Catcher)
Lee Thomas (UIW, Designated Hitter)
Josh Ragan (UCA, Outfielder)
Jack Rogers (SHSU, Outfielder)
Tyler Smith (NSU, Outfielder)
John Gaddis (TAMUCC, Pitcher)
Gavin Stone (UCA, Pitcher)
Luke Taggart (UIW, Pitcher)
Jeremy Rodriguez (SFA, Pitcher)
Jake Dickerson (MCNS, Utility)

Roster

2021 McNeese State Cowboys roster

Pitchers

10 James Burchett – Redshirt Freshman
14 Brett Payne – Redshirt Sophomore
17 Sean-Michael Brady – Redshirt Freshman
18 Isaac Duplechain – Redshirt Freshman
19 Jonathan Ellison – Redshirt Senior
20 Daniel Hecker – Redshirt Senior
21 Cameron Meeks – Redshirt Freshman
22 Andrew Wood – Redshirt Senior
25 Ty Abraham – Redshirt Freshman
28 Brad Kincaid – Redshirt Senior
31 Zach May – Redshirt Junior
32 Hunter Reeves – Redshirt Senior
33 Bryson Hudgens – Redshirt Sophomore
36 Christian Vega – Redshirt Sophomore
37 Zach Diaz – Redshirt Junior
40 Brody Strahan – Redshirt Junior
41 Hayden Shaddox – Redshirt Sophomore
43 Kevin Roliard – Redshirt Junior
44 Chance Stone – Redshirt Sophomore
45 JT Peloquin – Redshirt Freshman
46 Isaiah Naylor – Freshman
47 Will Dion – Redshirt Sophomore
49 Grant Fontenot – Freshman
50 Cameron Lejeune – Freshman
99 Cameron Foster – Redshirt Junior

Catchers

6 Tre Obregon III – Redshirt Junior
12 Schuyler Thibodaux – Redshirt Sophomore
13 Brett Whelton – Redshirt Senior
38 Matt Keller – Redshirt Junior
48 Ben David – Freshman

Infielders

3 Nate Fisbeck – Redshirt Senior
4 Gabve Vasquez – Redshirt Sophomore
8 Kade Morris – Redshirt Junior
11 Reid Bourque – Redshirt Junior
15 Ricky Munoz – Redshirt Sophomore
26 Jordan Yeatts – Redshirt Sophomore

Outfielders

0 Braden Duhon – Redshirt Freshman
1 Payton Harden – Redshirt Sophomore
2 Cooper Hext – Freshman
9 Carson Carpenter – Freshman
27 Julian Gonzales – Redshirt Junior
34 Clayton Rasbeary – Redshirt Senior

Utility

16 Jake Dickerson – Redshirt Senior
24 Peyton Johnson – Redshirt Sophomore
39 Nate Collins – Redshirt Junior

Coaching staff

2021 mcneese state cowboys coaching staff
Justin Hill – Head coach – 8th year Nick Zaleski – Associate head coach/Pitching coordinator – 6th year Jim Ricklefsen – Assistant head coach/recruiting coordinator/Alumni Relations – 6th year Cass Hargis – Volunteer assistant Coach – 2nd year

Schedule and results

Legend
	McNeese State win
	McNeese State loss
	Postponement/Cancelation/Suspensions
Bold	McNeese State team member

2021 McNeese State Cowboys baseball game log

Regular season (28-28)

February (4-3)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	TV	Attendance	Overall record	SLC Record
Feb. 19	at Alabama		Sewell–Thomas Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL	L 6-10	Prielipp (1-0)	Dion (0-1)	None	SECN+	1,748	0-1
Feb. 20	at Alabama		Sewell–Thomas Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL	L 3-4	Lee (1-0)	Roliard (0-1)	None	SECN+	1,764	0-2
Feb. 21	at Alabama		Sewell–Thomas Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL	L 5-9	Hitt (1-0)	Strahan (0-1)	Guffey (1)	SECN+	1,764	0-3
Feb. 26	Prairie View A&M		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 5-0	Dion (1-1)	Smith (0-1)	None		439	1-3
Feb. 27	Prairie View A&M		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 3-1	Abraham (1-1)	Laux (0-1)	Reeves (1)		257	2-3
Feb. 27	Prairie View A&M		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 6-5	Roliard (1-0)	Hardit (0-1)	None		257	3-3
Feb. 28	Prairie View A&M		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 11-5	Brady (1-0)	Mendoza (0-1)	None		440	4-3

March (8-8)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	TV	Attendance	Overall record	SLC Record
Mar. 3	Louisiana		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 4-3	Duplechain (1-0)	Moriarty (0-1)	Reeves(1)		402	5-3
Mar. 5	at Louisiana Tech		J. C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park • Ruston, LA	L 0-11	Fincher (2-0)	Dion (1-2)	Tomkins (1)		1,000	5-4
Mar. 6	at Louisiana Tech		J. C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park • Ruston, LA	L 3-4	Griffen (1-1)	Duplechain (1-1)	Ouellette (2)		1,000	5-5
Mar. 7	at Louisiana Tech		J. C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park • Ruston, LA	L 4-14	Whorff (2-1)	Vega (0-1)	None		1,000	5-6
Mar. 12	Texas A&M–Corpus Christi		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 4-2	Kincaid (1-0)	Gaddis (0-1)	Dion (1)		236	6-6	1-0
Mar. 13	Texas A&M–Corpus Christi		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 9-8	Duplechain (2-1)	Miller (0-1)	None		312	7-6	2-0
Mar. 14	Texas A&M–Corpus Christi		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 12-7	Reeves (1-0)	Purcell (0-1)	None		298	8-6	3-0
Mar. 16	LSU Alexandria		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 16-6	May (1-0)	Colligan (0-2)	None		438	9-6
Mar. 19	at Houston Baptist		Husky Field • Houston, TX	W 12-6	Duplechain (3-1)	Zarella (0-3)	None		200	10-6	4-0
Mar. 20	at Houston Baptist		Husky Field • Houston, TX	W 7-1	Dion (2-2)	Coats (0-3)	None			11-6	5-0
Mar. 20	at Houston Baptist		Husky Field • Houston, TX	L 3-7	Morris (1-0)	Foster (0-1)	Reitmeyer (1)		400	11-7	5-1
Mar. 21	at Houston Baptist		Husky Field • Houston, TX	W 10-0	Ellison (1-0)	Tinker (0-4)	None		200	12-7	6-1
Mar. 26	Stephen F. Austin		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	L 5-8 (10 inns)	Koch (1-0)	Reeves (1-1)	Gauthe (4)		315	12-8	6-2
Mar. 27	Stephen F. Austin		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	L 2-5	Todd (1-2)	Dion (2-3)	Poell (1)		312	12-9	6-3
Mar. 27	Stephen F. Austin		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	L 3-4	Gauthe (1-0)	Roliard (1-2)	Emmons (1)		348	12-10	6-4
Mar. 28	Stephen F. Austin		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	L 0-2	Sgambelluri (1-1)	Vega (0-2)	Gauthe (5)		190	12-11	6-5

April (8-10)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	TV	Attendance	Overall record	SLC Record
Apr. 1	at Southeastern Louisiana		Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field • Hammond, LA	W 6-4	Roliard (2-2)	Hughes (1-2)	None	ESPN+	918	13-11	7-5
Apr. 2	at Southeastern Louisiana		Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field • Hammond, LA	W 5-0	Dion (3-3)	Shaffer (1-2)	None	ESPN+	937	14-11	8-5
Apr. 2	Southeastern Louisiana Lions		Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field • Hammond, LA	L 3-6	Warren (5-1)	Ellison (1-1)	Hoskins (4)	ESPN+	937	14-12	8-6
Apr. 3	at Southeastern Louisiana		Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field • Hammond, LA	L 9-13	Stuprich (2-1)	Meeks (0-1)	None	ESPN+	925	14-13	8-7
Apr. 6	at LSU		Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field • Baton Rouge, LA	L 1-14	Edwards (1-2)	Vega (0-3)	None	SECN+	3,606	14-14
Apr. 9	Incarnate Word		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 10-6	Abraham (2-0)	Zavala (3-2)	Duplechain (1)		311	15-14	9-7
Apr. 10	Incarnate Word		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 19-1 (7 inns)	Dion (4-3)	Rollins (1-4)	None			16-14	10-7
Apr. 10	Incarnate Word		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 4-1	Ellison (2-1)	Garza (3-1)	Foster (1)		429	17-14	11-7
Apr. 11	Incarnate Word		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 10-4	Vega (1-3)	Minter (0-1)	None		368	18-14	12-7
Apr. 17	at Sam Houston State		Don Sanders Stadium • Huntsville, TX	L 2-6	Davis (5-2)	Hudgens (0-1)	None		512	18-15	12-8
Apr. 18	at Sam Houston State		Don Sanders Stadium • Huntsville, TX	L 5-6 (14 inns)	Wesneski (1-1)	Foster (0-2)	None		512	18-16	12-9
Apr. 18	at Sam Houston State		Don Sanders Stadium • Huntsville, TX	L 4-5	Atkinson (4-1)	Ellison (2-2)	Beard (1)		512	18-17	12-10
Apr. 19	at Sam Houston State		Don Sanders Stadium • Huntsville, TX	L 4-6	Backhus (2-0)	Vega (1-4)	Havlicek (2)		512	18-18	12-11
Apr. 21	at Louisiana		M. L. Tigue Moore Field at Russo Park • Lafayette, LA	L 3-4	Burk (3-0)	Abraham (2-1)	Schultz (3)	ESPN+	643	18-19
Apr. 24	UT Arlington		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	L 1-8	Tavera (1-4)	Dion (4-4)	King (1)		412	18-20
Apr. 24	UT Arlington		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	L 5-6 (10 inns)	Wong (2-1)	Brady (1-1)	Austin (1)		377	18-21
Apr. 25	UT Arlington		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 5-3	Ellison (3-2)	Moffat (3-3)	Foster (2)		439	19-21
Apr. 30	New Orleans		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 8-6	Reeves (2-1)	Erbe (1-3)	Foster (3)		399	20-21	13-11

May (8–7)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	TV	Attendance	Overall record	SLC Record
May 1	New Orleans		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 8-3	Dion (5-4)	Turpin (7-2)	None		447	21-21	14-11
May 1	New Orleans		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	L 4-8	Mitchell (4-1)	Ellison (3-3)	Seroski (8)		487	21-22	14-12
May 2	New Orleans		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	L 10-13	Acree (2-1)	Abraham (2-2)	Seroski (9)		379	21-23	14-13
May 7	at Northwestern State		H. Alvin Brown–C. C. Stroud Field • Natchitoches, LA	W 7-1	Dion (6-4)	Harmon (4-3)	None		458	22-23	15-13
May 7	at Northwestern State		H. Alvin Brown–C. C. Stroud Field • Natchitoches, LA	L 3-4	Carver (6-4)	Hudgens (0-2)	Brown (4)		458	22-24	15-14
May 8	at Northwestern State		H. Alvin Brown–C. C. Stroud Field • Natchitoches, LA	L 3-4	Brown (2-2)	Foster (0-2)	None		510	22-25	15-15
May 8	at Northwestern State		H. Alvin Brown–C. C. Stroud Field • Natchitoches, LA	L 5-6	Taylor (2-0)	Vega (1-5)	None		510	22-26	15-16
May 14	Nicholls		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 7-0	Hudgens (1-2)	Gearing (4-4)	None		398	23-26	16-16
May 15	Nicholls		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 13-3 (7 inns)	Dion (7-4)	Kilcrease (2-8)	None		447	24-26	17-16
May 15	Nicholls		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 10-7	Ellison (4-3)	Mancuso (0-2)	Vega (1)		419	25-26	18-16
May 16	Nicholls		Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA	W 6-5	Abraham (3-2)	Heckman (2-6)	Foster (4)		437	26-26	19-16
May 20	at Central Arkansas		Bear Stadium • Conway, AR	L 1-8	Moyer (5-6)	Hudgens (1-3)	None		348	26-27	19-17
May 21	at Central Arkansas		Bear Stadium • Conway, AR	W 6-1	Dion (8-4)	Williams (2-2)	None		304	27-27	20-17
May 21	at Central Arkansas		Bear Stadium • Conway, AR	W 6-5 (10 inns)	Foster (1-3)	Williams (2-3)	None		255	28-27	21-17
May 22	at Central Arkansas		Bear Stadium • Conway, AR	L 4-5	Gilbertson (2-3)	Abraham (3-3)	Verel (1)		410	28-28	21-18

Post-season (4–2)

SLC Tournament (4–0)
Date	Opponent	Seed/Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	TV	Attendance	Overall record	Tournament record
May 26	vs. (2) New Orleans	(7)	Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field • Hammond, LA	W 12-0 (8 inns)	Dion (9-4)	Turpin (9-3)	None	ESPN+	1,262	29-28	1-0
May 27	vs. (3) Southeastern Louisiana	(7)	Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field • Hammond, LA	W 3-2	Ellison (5-3)	Stuprich (6-3)	Foster (3)	ESPN+	1,167	30-28	2-0
May 28	vs. (3) Southeastern Louisiana	(7)	Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field • Hammond, LA	W 18-2 (7 inns)	Abraham (4-3)	Dugas (0-1)	None	ESPN+	1,225	31-28	3-0
May 29	vs. (5) Sam Houston State	(7)	Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field • Hammond, LA	W 2-1	Hudgens (2-3)	Backhus (4-2)	Foster (4)	ESPN+	903	32-28	4-0

NCAA tournament (0-2)
Date	Opponent	Seed/Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	TV	Attendance	Overall record	Tournament record
Fort Worth Regionals
Jun. 4	vs. (1)/No. 8 TCU	(4)	Lupton Stadium • Fort Worth, TX	L 4-12	Krob (8-1)	Foster (1-4)	None	ESPN3	4,468	32-29	0-1
Jun. 5	vs. (3) Oregon State	(4)	Lupton Stadium • Fort Worth, TX	L 5-10	Watkins (3-4)	Foster (1-5)	None	ESPN3	3,969	32-30	0-2

Schedule Source:^[4]

*Rankings are based on the team's current ranking in the D1Baseball poll.

Fort Worth Regional

Fort Worth Regional Teams
(1) TCU Horned Frogs	(2) Dallas Baptist Patriots	(3) Oregon State Beavers	(4) McNeese State Cowboys


First Round			Semi-Finals			Finals



6	TCU	12

	McNeese State	4
			6	TCU	6

				Dallas Baptist	8
Dallas Baptist		6

Oregon State		5
						Dallas Baptist

						Oregon State
Lower round 1			Lower final



			6	TCU	2

McNeese State		5		Oregon State	3

Oregon State		10

Postseason

Conference accolades

Player of the Year: Colton Cowser – SHSU
Hitter of the Year: Colton Eager – ACU
Pitcher of the Year: Will Dion – MCNS
Relief Pitcher of the Year: Tyler Cleveland – UCA
Freshman of the Year: Brennan Stuprich – SELA
Newcomer of the Year: Grayson Tatrow – ACU
Clay Gould Coach of the Year: Rick McCarty – ACU

All Conference First Team

Chase Kemp (LAMR)
Nate Fisbeck (MCNS)
Itchy Burts (TAMUCC)
Bash Randle (ACU)
Mitchell Dickson (ACU)
Lee Thomas (UIW)
Colton Cowser (SHSU)
Colton Eager (ACU)
Clayton Rasbeary (MCNS)
Will Dion (MCNS)
Brennan Stuprich (SELA)
Will Warren (SELA)
Tyler Cleveland (UCA)
Anthony Quirion (LAMR)

All Conference Second Team

Preston Faulkner (SELA)
Daunte Stuart (NSU)
Kasten Furr (UNO)
Evan Keller (SELA)
Skylar Black (SFA)
Tre Obregon III (MCNS)
Jack Rogers (SHSU)
Pearce Howard (UNO)
Grayson Tatrow (ACU)
Chris Turpin (UNO)
John Gaddis (TAMUCC)
Trevin Michael (LAMR)
Caleb Seroski (UNO)
Jacob Burke (SELA)

All Conference Third Team

Luke Marbach (TAMUCC)
Salo Iza (UNO)
Austin Cain (NICH)
Darren Willis (UNO)
Ryan Snell (LAMR)
Tommy Cruz (ACU)
Tyler Finke (SELA)
Payton Harden (MCNS)
Mike Williams (TAMUCC)
Cal Carver (NSU)
Levi David (NSU)
Dominic Robinson (SHSU)
Jack Dallas (LAMR)
Brett Hammit (ACU)

All Conference Defensive Team

Luke Marbach (TAMUCC)
Nate Fisbeck (MCNS)
Anthony Quirion (LAMR)
Darren Willis (UNO)
Gaby Cruz (SELA)
Julian Gonzales (MCNS)
Colton Cowser (SHSU)
Avery George (LAMR)
Will Dion (MCNS)

References:^[5]

References

^ "2021 Southland Conference Baseball Standings". southland.org. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
^ "Sam Houston Repeats as Southland Baseball Preseason Favorite". www.southland.org. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
^ "Southland Announces 2021 Preseason All-Conference Baseball Teams". www.southland.org. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
^ "Pokes release '21 baseball schedule featuring 29 home games". McNeese State University Athletics. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
^ "SFA's Kassidy Wilbur Named Southland Player of the Year". www.southland.org. Retrieved January 6, 2022.

[1] "2021 Southland Conference Baseball Standings". southland.org. Retrieved June 4, 2021.

[2] "Sam Houston Repeats as Southland Baseball Preseason Favorite". www.southland.org. Retrieved April 9, 2021.

[3] "Southland Announces 2021 Preseason All-Conference Baseball Teams". www.southland.org. Retrieved April 9, 2021.

[4] "Pokes release '21 baseball schedule featuring 29 home games". McNeese State University Athletics. Retrieved April 19, 2021.

[5] "SFA's Kassidy Wilbur Named Southland Player of the Year". www.southland.org. Retrieved January 6, 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

2021 McNeese State Cowboys baseball

Fort Worth Regional appearance Southland Conference Tournament champions
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	32–30 (21–18 Southland)
Head coach	Justin Hill (8th season)
Assistant coaches	Nick Zaleski Jim Ricklefsen
Home stadium	Joe Miller Ballpark
Seasons ← 2020 2022 →