Saturday, May 2
Nacogdoches, TX
3:00 P.M.
Stephen F. Austin
vs
McNeese State
Photo by: Elysa Ripley
Jacks to Send Seniors Off in Pivotal SLC Series with McNeese
5/1/2026 11:27:00 AM | Baseball
SFA closes out regular season home slate, eyes most overall wins since 2019 season
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Jacks are in the mix as the calendar moves to May and Stephen F. Austin, under the leadership of second-year head coach Matt Vanderburg, will close out the home portion of its regular season schedule this weekend in a pivotal Southland Conference series against McNeese. One game is all that separates the Jacks and the Cowboys in the league standing with six games to play. Mother Nature has her say in the series which shifts to Saturday-Sunday. Saturday's double feature begins at 3 p.m. with Sunday's senior day set for a 2 p.m. start with pregame festivities slated for 1:25. Live coverage links are available at www.SFAjacks.com.
Friday's matchup will be the 46th meeting between SFA and McNeese since the start of the 2006 campaign with this weekend's visitors leading 26-19. It will mark the Cowboys' first trip to Pilgrim's Park since the 2018 season. McNeese is 8-7 against the Jacks in Nacogdoches and the series has been tightly contested with the Cowboys leading 6-4 in the last ten. SFA took two of three from McNeese last spring in Lake Charles.
Tuesday's victory over the Big 12's Houston, SFA's first over a P4 opponent since 2021 when the Jacks beat #25 Oklahoma at Globe Life Park, ensured that the Jacks will finish with the most home wins since the 2017 season (21-7). With six regular season games remaining along with potential conference tournament games, SFA is eyeing the 30-win mark for the first time since 2016 and for just the fifth time since the resumption of the program for the 2006 season.
Eight Southland Conference teams have won 20 or more total games this season and nine have at least ten conference wins with Southeastern, Lamar and Northwestern State at the top with 16 each, while the Lions and Cardinals are scheduled for a driver's seat series this weekend in Beaumont. The Jacks sit at .500 in sixth place outright with its dozen league victories the most since 2023. The Cowboys have 11 wins in SLC play with Houston Christian and A&M-Corpus Christi at ten wins and UIW and New Orleans each at eight wins.
The Cowboys will look to contend with one of the league's best offenses which has manufactured the second-most runs (305) at the third-best rate (6.6) and one that has spent much of the spring moving around the basepaths. The Jacks' 237 walks are a top 45 mark in the country and SFA paces the SLC in stolen bases (75).
Six players have recorded 40 or more hits for SFA this spring including league hits leader Julian Swift who enters his final regular season weekend at Pilgrim's Park with 63 base knocks of which nearly a third (20) have went for extra bases. Swift leads three other Jacks that have crossed home 30 or more times this season. He holds team leads in doubles (11), home runs (5) and RBI (51) which is tops among the Southland.
Jhett Creel's 40 walks are a top 30 mark nationally and he rates second on the team in hits (48), runs (35) and is one of six Jacks with two dozen or more RBI. Cermodrick Bland's 46 hits are the third-most for the Jacks this spring and his two dozen stolen bases lead the Southland and are among the top 35 bag theft totals in Division I. Mark Henning (.302, 45 H, 29 RBI) currently holds the longest active reached streak among any Jack this spring at 25 games.
On the mound, SFA ranks among the SLC's top three pitching staffs in K-to-BB ratio (2.17), K/9 (9.0) and BB/9 (4.17). Among the projected weekend starters for the Jacks, Cody Templeton leads with 59.1 innings pitched, 58 strikeouts and a 4-1 record. Gabe LeBlanc has tossed 43.0 innings with 27strikeouts over 11 starts and Dylan Mulcahy looks to make his tenth start of the season after tossing 42.2 innings while narrowly trailing Templeton in punchouts with 55.
Jack James has proven to be one of the league's top relief arms this spring. In 30.2 innings pitched over 15 relief efforts, James owns a 5-to-1 K-to-BB ratio with a 1.47 ERA, a WHIP of .98 and a staff-low .225 batting average against. Reid Bowyer has made 16 relief outings totaling 28.2 innings with 21 strikeouts and has matched James in saves with two. Kadin Munson leads the bullpen with 17 appearances, all in relief, totaling 12.1 innings.
The Cowboys lead the SLC in doubles (86) and rate second in hit-by-pitch (64) and sit behind the Jacks in stolen bases (61). McNeese is hitting .267 as a team with 413 hits and averaging 6.2 runs per game. Matt Stancliff leads with 51 hits and 42 runs scored. Danny Barbero paces with 42 RBI.
Projected weekend starters for the Cowboys include Eric Nachtsheim, Cooper Golden and Carlos Garcia. Nachtsheim leads the SLC and rates fifth nationally in strikeouts (96) and strikeouts per nine (14.64) and is second in the SLC in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.05). It will be Nachtsheim's sixth start and 16th appearance of the season. Golden will make his 12th start this weekend and is second on the staff with 54.0 innings to go along with 50 strikeouts. Garcia is scheduled to make his fifth start after tossing 10.0 innings over his last four.
3VAN! 3VAN! 3VAN! --- First-year Jack Evan Aslaksen enjoyed a midweek heater hitting a pair of home runs in the win at PVAMU, before exiting Pilgrim's Park the following day in the home win over Alcorn. In the two games, Aslaksen went 6-for-10 with nine RBI highlighted by three home runs and a triple.
Big Bat Ibe --- Josh Ibe was named the SLC Hitter of the Week on April 6. It was the second weekly SLC honor for the Cypress, Texas native in his SFA career and he became the first Lumberjack this spring to earn the league's weekly plaudit. In four games, Ibe hit .438 with seven hits of which five went for extra bases. He delivered three doubles, a pair of home runs and totaled 16 bases. Ibe drove in a team-leading nine runs and tied for the team lead in runs scored with six.
Nine is Fine --- Junior right hander Dylan Mulcahy recorded a career-high nine strikeouts over 5.1 innings pitched to earn the game three victory and give the Jacks the series over HCU. Mulcahy's nine strikeouts matched the most by any SFA arm since the start of the 2023 season. He then followed that up with nine punchouts in the series finale against UTRGV. Between Mulcahy accounting for half of SFA's individual nine-strikeout efforts this spring was such efforts by Cody Templeton in G1 vs. UTRGV and Elian Balmaceda in relief in G1 vs. A&M-CC.
Eleven is Heaven --- SFA erupted for 11 runs in the eighth inning of the series finale against Lamar to erase a 9-3 deficit on their way to a series win with a 14-11 victory. The Jacks have eight innings of 7+ runs in Vanderburg's tenure with six of those coming this season.
All good things --- Cermodrick Bland's active reached safely streak ended at 31 games following game two of the UNO series.
Seven of 10 --- The Jacks won seven of the squad's first ten games of the season for the first time since 2010.
Impressive Streak --- Julian Swift saw a 19-game hitting streak come to an end in Pine Bluff. Swift's impressive stretch of base knocks is the third longest in program history.
Best Start… Ever --- SFA's 5-0 start to the season is the best in program history, while its sweep of MVSU to open the year marked just the second 4-0 start ever by the Jacks.
Not Tonight --- SFA's effort on the mound, using six different arms, against Huston Tillotson marked the first combined nine-inning no-hitter in program history.
Nine is Fine --- The Jacks swiped nine bases in the game three win over MVSU which is tied for the second-most steals in a single game in program history.
Game One, Game Won --- SFA's 17-2 (7) win over Mississippi Valley State was the Jacks' first win in a season opener since knocking off Northwestern State in the first game of the 2022 campaign.
USA InVESTment --- Former Lumberjack Will Vest earned the call to Houston to join up with Team USA at the World Baseball Classic after being placed into the designated pitcher pool for the tournament. Vest pitched the seventh inning of the WBC's Gold Medal game allowing one hit with one strikeout.
SECURE YOUR SEATS TODAY
Single game tickets for this weekend's final home series are available now. Don't miss out on all the exciting action as the Jacks look to close out the Pilgrim's Park slate strong!
THE 'JACKS HAVE GONE MOBILE
SFA Athletics' newest mobile phone application is designed to bring Lumberjack fans closer to the action than ever before. Available now on both the App Store and Google Play, the new SFA Athletics app delivers schedules, scores, rosters, news, ticket access, and exclusive content right to your phone. Fans can also receive push notifications, so they never miss a moment of the action. Download now: Official SFA Athletics App.
FOLLOW THE JACKS
For all the latest information on SFA baseball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Jacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Friday's matchup will be the 46th meeting between SFA and McNeese since the start of the 2006 campaign with this weekend's visitors leading 26-19. It will mark the Cowboys' first trip to Pilgrim's Park since the 2018 season. McNeese is 8-7 against the Jacks in Nacogdoches and the series has been tightly contested with the Cowboys leading 6-4 in the last ten. SFA took two of three from McNeese last spring in Lake Charles.
Tuesday's victory over the Big 12's Houston, SFA's first over a P4 opponent since 2021 when the Jacks beat #25 Oklahoma at Globe Life Park, ensured that the Jacks will finish with the most home wins since the 2017 season (21-7). With six regular season games remaining along with potential conference tournament games, SFA is eyeing the 30-win mark for the first time since 2016 and for just the fifth time since the resumption of the program for the 2006 season.
Eight Southland Conference teams have won 20 or more total games this season and nine have at least ten conference wins with Southeastern, Lamar and Northwestern State at the top with 16 each, while the Lions and Cardinals are scheduled for a driver's seat series this weekend in Beaumont. The Jacks sit at .500 in sixth place outright with its dozen league victories the most since 2023. The Cowboys have 11 wins in SLC play with Houston Christian and A&M-Corpus Christi at ten wins and UIW and New Orleans each at eight wins.
The Cowboys will look to contend with one of the league's best offenses which has manufactured the second-most runs (305) at the third-best rate (6.6) and one that has spent much of the spring moving around the basepaths. The Jacks' 237 walks are a top 45 mark in the country and SFA paces the SLC in stolen bases (75).
Six players have recorded 40 or more hits for SFA this spring including league hits leader Julian Swift who enters his final regular season weekend at Pilgrim's Park with 63 base knocks of which nearly a third (20) have went for extra bases. Swift leads three other Jacks that have crossed home 30 or more times this season. He holds team leads in doubles (11), home runs (5) and RBI (51) which is tops among the Southland.
Jhett Creel's 40 walks are a top 30 mark nationally and he rates second on the team in hits (48), runs (35) and is one of six Jacks with two dozen or more RBI. Cermodrick Bland's 46 hits are the third-most for the Jacks this spring and his two dozen stolen bases lead the Southland and are among the top 35 bag theft totals in Division I. Mark Henning (.302, 45 H, 29 RBI) currently holds the longest active reached streak among any Jack this spring at 25 games.
On the mound, SFA ranks among the SLC's top three pitching staffs in K-to-BB ratio (2.17), K/9 (9.0) and BB/9 (4.17). Among the projected weekend starters for the Jacks, Cody Templeton leads with 59.1 innings pitched, 58 strikeouts and a 4-1 record. Gabe LeBlanc has tossed 43.0 innings with 27strikeouts over 11 starts and Dylan Mulcahy looks to make his tenth start of the season after tossing 42.2 innings while narrowly trailing Templeton in punchouts with 55.
Jack James has proven to be one of the league's top relief arms this spring. In 30.2 innings pitched over 15 relief efforts, James owns a 5-to-1 K-to-BB ratio with a 1.47 ERA, a WHIP of .98 and a staff-low .225 batting average against. Reid Bowyer has made 16 relief outings totaling 28.2 innings with 21 strikeouts and has matched James in saves with two. Kadin Munson leads the bullpen with 17 appearances, all in relief, totaling 12.1 innings.
The Cowboys lead the SLC in doubles (86) and rate second in hit-by-pitch (64) and sit behind the Jacks in stolen bases (61). McNeese is hitting .267 as a team with 413 hits and averaging 6.2 runs per game. Matt Stancliff leads with 51 hits and 42 runs scored. Danny Barbero paces with 42 RBI.
Projected weekend starters for the Cowboys include Eric Nachtsheim, Cooper Golden and Carlos Garcia. Nachtsheim leads the SLC and rates fifth nationally in strikeouts (96) and strikeouts per nine (14.64) and is second in the SLC in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.05). It will be Nachtsheim's sixth start and 16th appearance of the season. Golden will make his 12th start this weekend and is second on the staff with 54.0 innings to go along with 50 strikeouts. Garcia is scheduled to make his fifth start after tossing 10.0 innings over his last four.
3VAN! 3VAN! 3VAN! --- First-year Jack Evan Aslaksen enjoyed a midweek heater hitting a pair of home runs in the win at PVAMU, before exiting Pilgrim's Park the following day in the home win over Alcorn. In the two games, Aslaksen went 6-for-10 with nine RBI highlighted by three home runs and a triple.
Big Bat Ibe --- Josh Ibe was named the SLC Hitter of the Week on April 6. It was the second weekly SLC honor for the Cypress, Texas native in his SFA career and he became the first Lumberjack this spring to earn the league's weekly plaudit. In four games, Ibe hit .438 with seven hits of which five went for extra bases. He delivered three doubles, a pair of home runs and totaled 16 bases. Ibe drove in a team-leading nine runs and tied for the team lead in runs scored with six.
Nine is Fine --- Junior right hander Dylan Mulcahy recorded a career-high nine strikeouts over 5.1 innings pitched to earn the game three victory and give the Jacks the series over HCU. Mulcahy's nine strikeouts matched the most by any SFA arm since the start of the 2023 season. He then followed that up with nine punchouts in the series finale against UTRGV. Between Mulcahy accounting for half of SFA's individual nine-strikeout efforts this spring was such efforts by Cody Templeton in G1 vs. UTRGV and Elian Balmaceda in relief in G1 vs. A&M-CC.
Eleven is Heaven --- SFA erupted for 11 runs in the eighth inning of the series finale against Lamar to erase a 9-3 deficit on their way to a series win with a 14-11 victory. The Jacks have eight innings of 7+ runs in Vanderburg's tenure with six of those coming this season.
All good things --- Cermodrick Bland's active reached safely streak ended at 31 games following game two of the UNO series.
Seven of 10 --- The Jacks won seven of the squad's first ten games of the season for the first time since 2010.
Impressive Streak --- Julian Swift saw a 19-game hitting streak come to an end in Pine Bluff. Swift's impressive stretch of base knocks is the third longest in program history.
Best Start… Ever --- SFA's 5-0 start to the season is the best in program history, while its sweep of MVSU to open the year marked just the second 4-0 start ever by the Jacks.
Not Tonight --- SFA's effort on the mound, using six different arms, against Huston Tillotson marked the first combined nine-inning no-hitter in program history.
Nine is Fine --- The Jacks swiped nine bases in the game three win over MVSU which is tied for the second-most steals in a single game in program history.
Game One, Game Won --- SFA's 17-2 (7) win over Mississippi Valley State was the Jacks' first win in a season opener since knocking off Northwestern State in the first game of the 2022 campaign.
USA InVESTment --- Former Lumberjack Will Vest earned the call to Houston to join up with Team USA at the World Baseball Classic after being placed into the designated pitcher pool for the tournament. Vest pitched the seventh inning of the WBC's Gold Medal game allowing one hit with one strikeout.
SECURE YOUR SEATS TODAY
Single game tickets for this weekend's final home series are available now. Don't miss out on all the exciting action as the Jacks look to close out the Pilgrim's Park slate strong!
THE 'JACKS HAVE GONE MOBILE
SFA Athletics' newest mobile phone application is designed to bring Lumberjack fans closer to the action than ever before. Available now on both the App Store and Google Play, the new SFA Athletics app delivers schedules, scores, rosters, news, ticket access, and exclusive content right to your phone. Fans can also receive push notifications, so they never miss a moment of the action. Download now: Official SFA Athletics App.
FOLLOW THE JACKS
For all the latest information on SFA baseball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Jacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
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