
Lumberjacks Head to Lake Charles to Face SLC Leading McNeese
5/1/2025 11:25:00 AM | Baseball
Stephen F. Austin vs McNeese State
Dates: Friday, May 2nd-Sunday, May 4th
Time: Friday: 6:00 p.m. CST, Saturday: 2:00 p.m. CST, Sunday: 1:00 p.m. CST
Live Stream: ESPN+
Field: Joe Miller Ballpark
All-Time Series: McNeese State leads 50-30
LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana - The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (13-30, 4-20 SLC) travel to Louisiana to face off against the McNeese State Cowboys (30-11, 17-6 SLC) in a three-game series.
A Look at the Lumberjacks
SFA sits at 13-30 overall and 4-20 in the Southland Conference. They are coming off a midweek win over Grambling State in which they scored a season-high 20 runs. Last weekend, the 'Jacks dropped two of three to Northwestern State and currently sit in the tenth spot in the SLC standings.
On the offensive side of the ball, Josh Ibe figures to give McNeese pitchers headaches. The Junior first baseman/designated hitter continues to stack up productive series. This weekend against Northwestern State, Josh hit .455 with a 1.045 OPS. He had five hits, a double, a walk, and two RBI over the three games. Ibe has consistently been the best hitter in the 'Jacks lineup, leading the Lumberjacks in multiple different offensive categories. He's first in batting average (.346), OPS (1.160), slugging percentage (.699), on-base percentage (.461), home runs (12), RBI (41), runs (29), hits (46), total bases (93), and walks (25). Josh is leading the SLC in slugging percentage, third in slugging percentage, and is tied for third in home runs. Junior second baseman Kevin Duran had a huge series this weekend, hitting .600 with a 1.200 OPS. In his ten at-bats, Kevin picked up six hits while scoring two runs and driving in one. Duran is currently second on the team in batting average (.305) and second in OPS (.812). He's also been a threat on the bases, as his five steals are tied for fourth on the team. Duran has been on fire since the calendar turned to April, hitting .404 with a .983 OPS. His 21 hits during the month are leading the team, while his 13 runs are third. Freshman outfielder Cermodrick Bland has been on fire as of late. In the month of April, Cermodrick is hitting .413 with a 1.003 OPS. He's also picked up 15 steals in the month, which has put him into the team lead in that department. During the month, his 11 RBI and 19 hits are third on the team, while his 14 runs are tied for first on the Lumberjacks. On the year, Cermodrick is hitting .313 with an .816 OPS. Although he doesn't qualify for team leaders because he doesn't meet the 75% of games played threshold, his batting average would be second to Ibe for the team lead. As a team, the Lumberjacks are hitting .264 with a .742 OPS this season.
On the mound for the Lumberjacks, Junior starter Cody Templeton is coming off an exceptional outing. Saturday against Northwestern State, Templeton went all nine innings while allowing only one unearned run. He gave up four hits, one walk, and struck out eight. This is Cody's second complete game this year, as he shut out Lamar earlier in the season. Prior to Saturday, Cody had been struggling a little bit, but he got back to what he was doing earlier in the season and dominated the Demons bats the entire game. The SLC once again took notice, as he was named SLC Pitcher of the Week for the second time this year. On the season, Templeton has a 4.00 ERA over a team-leading 72 innings. His WHIP is first among starters at 1.31, and his 51 strikeouts lead the SFA pitching staff. Cody is slated to pitch this weekend against McNeese. Along with Templeton, Junior right-hander Dylan Mulcahy will be toeing the mound in the series. Mulcahy is coming off a start against Northwestern State last weekend in which he went five innings and struck out five while giving up six runs. Dylan carries a 7.13 ERA and 1.80 WHIP into the series, and his 47 strikeouts are second on the team. As a staff, SFA has a 7.00 ERA and 1.82 WHIP.
A Look at the Cowboys
McNeese enters this series at 30-11 and 17-7 in the SLC. McNeese sits in second place in the Southland, but has been struggling as of late, having lost four of their last five. After their series with the 'Jacks, McNeese will have a midweek game against Southern before heading to Natchitoches, Louisiana, to play a crucial series against Northwestern State to end their regular-season play.
The Cowboys have a high-powered offense, led by Sophomore shortstop Easton Dowell. Dowell has been great this year, as he sits third in the conference with a .386 batting average. He's also leading the team with a 1.101 OPS, and his 96 total bases are second on the team. Senior Conner Westenburg has also been good this year, leading the Cowboys with 104 total bases and 57 hits. He's scored a team-leading 55 runs, and he's been a major threat on the base paths, having swiped 23 bags in 27 attempts. As a team, McNeese is hitting .294 with an .880 OPS.
On the pitching side for the Cowboys, Sergio Garcia has a 2.67 ERA, which is the best on the team. Parker Morgan has also been solid over 16.1 innings, as he holds a 2.76 ERA, second to Garcia for the team lead. Junior Cooper Golden leads the team in innings pitched, as he's thrown 35.2 frames this year. As a staff, McNeese has a 5.14 ERA, a 1.46 WHIP, and a .270 batting average against on the year.
Series
Friday's game between the Lumberjacks and Cowboys will be the 81st time these two teams have squared off. McNeese leads the series 50-30 and won the last game 17-7 in 2022.
On Deck
After this series against McNeese, SFA will head back to Ncogdoches to play Incarnate Word in the last series of the regular season.
Ticket Information:
Join SFA Baseball at Pilgrim's Park this season! Single-game tickets are on sale now. Fans can visit SFAtickets.com for more information.
Follow the Lumberjacks:
For all the latest information on SFA Baseball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Lumberjacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Dates: Friday, May 2nd-Sunday, May 4th
Time: Friday: 6:00 p.m. CST, Saturday: 2:00 p.m. CST, Sunday: 1:00 p.m. CST
Live Stream: ESPN+
Field: Joe Miller Ballpark
All-Time Series: McNeese State leads 50-30
LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana - The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (13-30, 4-20 SLC) travel to Louisiana to face off against the McNeese State Cowboys (30-11, 17-6 SLC) in a three-game series.
A Look at the Lumberjacks
SFA sits at 13-30 overall and 4-20 in the Southland Conference. They are coming off a midweek win over Grambling State in which they scored a season-high 20 runs. Last weekend, the 'Jacks dropped two of three to Northwestern State and currently sit in the tenth spot in the SLC standings.
On the offensive side of the ball, Josh Ibe figures to give McNeese pitchers headaches. The Junior first baseman/designated hitter continues to stack up productive series. This weekend against Northwestern State, Josh hit .455 with a 1.045 OPS. He had five hits, a double, a walk, and two RBI over the three games. Ibe has consistently been the best hitter in the 'Jacks lineup, leading the Lumberjacks in multiple different offensive categories. He's first in batting average (.346), OPS (1.160), slugging percentage (.699), on-base percentage (.461), home runs (12), RBI (41), runs (29), hits (46), total bases (93), and walks (25). Josh is leading the SLC in slugging percentage, third in slugging percentage, and is tied for third in home runs. Junior second baseman Kevin Duran had a huge series this weekend, hitting .600 with a 1.200 OPS. In his ten at-bats, Kevin picked up six hits while scoring two runs and driving in one. Duran is currently second on the team in batting average (.305) and second in OPS (.812). He's also been a threat on the bases, as his five steals are tied for fourth on the team. Duran has been on fire since the calendar turned to April, hitting .404 with a .983 OPS. His 21 hits during the month are leading the team, while his 13 runs are third. Freshman outfielder Cermodrick Bland has been on fire as of late. In the month of April, Cermodrick is hitting .413 with a 1.003 OPS. He's also picked up 15 steals in the month, which has put him into the team lead in that department. During the month, his 11 RBI and 19 hits are third on the team, while his 14 runs are tied for first on the Lumberjacks. On the year, Cermodrick is hitting .313 with an .816 OPS. Although he doesn't qualify for team leaders because he doesn't meet the 75% of games played threshold, his batting average would be second to Ibe for the team lead. As a team, the Lumberjacks are hitting .264 with a .742 OPS this season.
On the mound for the Lumberjacks, Junior starter Cody Templeton is coming off an exceptional outing. Saturday against Northwestern State, Templeton went all nine innings while allowing only one unearned run. He gave up four hits, one walk, and struck out eight. This is Cody's second complete game this year, as he shut out Lamar earlier in the season. Prior to Saturday, Cody had been struggling a little bit, but he got back to what he was doing earlier in the season and dominated the Demons bats the entire game. The SLC once again took notice, as he was named SLC Pitcher of the Week for the second time this year. On the season, Templeton has a 4.00 ERA over a team-leading 72 innings. His WHIP is first among starters at 1.31, and his 51 strikeouts lead the SFA pitching staff. Cody is slated to pitch this weekend against McNeese. Along with Templeton, Junior right-hander Dylan Mulcahy will be toeing the mound in the series. Mulcahy is coming off a start against Northwestern State last weekend in which he went five innings and struck out five while giving up six runs. Dylan carries a 7.13 ERA and 1.80 WHIP into the series, and his 47 strikeouts are second on the team. As a staff, SFA has a 7.00 ERA and 1.82 WHIP.
A Look at the Cowboys
McNeese enters this series at 30-11 and 17-7 in the SLC. McNeese sits in second place in the Southland, but has been struggling as of late, having lost four of their last five. After their series with the 'Jacks, McNeese will have a midweek game against Southern before heading to Natchitoches, Louisiana, to play a crucial series against Northwestern State to end their regular-season play.
The Cowboys have a high-powered offense, led by Sophomore shortstop Easton Dowell. Dowell has been great this year, as he sits third in the conference with a .386 batting average. He's also leading the team with a 1.101 OPS, and his 96 total bases are second on the team. Senior Conner Westenburg has also been good this year, leading the Cowboys with 104 total bases and 57 hits. He's scored a team-leading 55 runs, and he's been a major threat on the base paths, having swiped 23 bags in 27 attempts. As a team, McNeese is hitting .294 with an .880 OPS.
On the pitching side for the Cowboys, Sergio Garcia has a 2.67 ERA, which is the best on the team. Parker Morgan has also been solid over 16.1 innings, as he holds a 2.76 ERA, second to Garcia for the team lead. Junior Cooper Golden leads the team in innings pitched, as he's thrown 35.2 frames this year. As a staff, McNeese has a 5.14 ERA, a 1.46 WHIP, and a .270 batting average against on the year.
Series
Friday's game between the Lumberjacks and Cowboys will be the 81st time these two teams have squared off. McNeese leads the series 50-30 and won the last game 17-7 in 2022.
On Deck
After this series against McNeese, SFA will head back to Ncogdoches to play Incarnate Word in the last series of the regular season.
Ticket Information:
Join SFA Baseball at Pilgrim's Park this season! Single-game tickets are on sale now. Fans can visit SFAtickets.com for more information.
Follow the Lumberjacks:
For all the latest information on SFA Baseball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Lumberjacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
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