The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs baseball team is set to host the McNeese Cowboys for their first midweek game of the season on Wednesday, February 18, at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park. The matchup marks the 128th meeting between the two teams, with LA Tech holding an 81-46 advantage in the series that dates back to 1970.
LA Tech enters the contest with a 4-0 record, continuing a strong start for the third consecutive year and marking the seventh time since Lane Burroughs became head coach in 2017 that the team has opened with four straight wins. With these victories, Burroughs is now two wins away from tying Barry Hinton for second-most coaching wins in program history.
Graduate transfer Colby Lunsford made an immediate impact during his debut weekend, batting .600 across four games against Houston Christian and recording six runs, three doubles, two home runs—including one in his first at-bat—six RBIs, and an OPS of 1.825, which ranks fifth in Conference USA after Opening Weekend.
Cade Patterson also delivered a notable performance by hitting two grand slams in the season opener—a feat last accomplished by TJ Soto in 2000—and finishing Opening Weekend with a .400 average and a conference-leading 12 RBIs.
On the mound, Florida State transfer Hudson Rowan and reigning CUSA Freshman of the Year Brooks Roberson each earned wins in their first starts of the year. Rowan pitched five scoreless innings while allowing only one hit; Roberson threw six scoreless innings with three strikeouts in a run-rule shortened game. Both pitchers limited Houston Christian batters to just a .085 average.
Matt Houston contributed significantly behind the plate during his season debut on Sunday by going four-for-four with two home runs—the second traveling an estimated 455 feet—and accumulating ten total bases alongside Lunsford.
McNeese comes into Wednesday’s game with a 1-2 record. Head coach Justin Hill is beginning his 13th season as leader of McNeese’s baseball program and holds a career record of 365-287. Hill has guided McNeese to ten seasons with over thirty wins since taking over in 2014, along with two regular-season Southland championships (2017, 2022), one tournament title (2021), two NCAA Regional appearances (2019, 2021), and has twice been named Southland Coach of the Year.
Hayden Stringfellow leads McNeese offensively so far this season with a .500 batting average and six hits during Opening Weekend. Bryce Fontenot, Korey Cooper and Danny Barbero have each homered against Sam Houston; Fontenot and Daniel Pinkerton are tied for most RBIs on the team.
Wednesday’s starting pitchers will be left-handers Landon Fontenot for LA Tech and Parker Morgan for McNeese. The Bulldogs have won seven straight home games against McNeese and are 10-2 versus them at J.C. Love Field since 2012.
Fans can follow live coverage on ESPN+ or access statistics through LATechSports.com/Stats.
