# 2023 McNeese Cowboys baseball team

The 2023 McNeese Cowboys baseball team represented McNeese State University during the 2023 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Cowboys played their home games at Joe Miller Ballpark and were led by tenth–year head coach Justin Hill. They are members of the Southland Conference.

## Preseason
### Southland Conference Coaches Poll

The Southland Conference Coaches Poll was released on February 3, 2023. McNeese was picked to finish first in the Southland Conference with 118 votes and 7 first place votes.
Coaches poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | McNeese State | 118 (7) |
| 2 | Southeastern Louisiana | 115 (10) |
| 3 | Lamar | 88 |
| 4 | New Orleans | 87 |
| 5 | Northwestern State | 65 (1) |
| 6 | Nicholls | 59 |
| 7 | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | 55 |
| 8 | Houston Christian | 41 |
| 9 | Incarnate Word | 20 |

### Preseason All-Southland team

Five McNeese players were named to the conference preseason first team. Three McNeese players were named to the conference preseason second team.

#### First Team

* Edgar Alvarez (NICH, JR, 1st Base)
* Brad Burckel (MCNS, SR, 2nd Base)
* Josh Leslie (MCNS, SR, 3rd Base)
* Parker Coddou (NICH, JR, Shortstop)
* Bo Willis (NWST, JR, Catcher)
* Tre Jones (TAMUCC, JR, Designated Hitter)
* Payton Harden (MCNS, SR, Outfielder)
* Brendan Ryan (TAMUCC, SR, Outfielder)
* Xane Washington (NICH, R-SR, Outfielder)
* Zach Garcia (TAMUCC, SO, Starting Pitcher)
* Grant Rogers (MCNS, JR, Starting Pitcher)
* Tyler Theriot (NICH, SR, Starting Pitcher)
* Burrell Jones (MCNS, SR, Relief Pitcher)
* Alec Carr (UIW, SR, Utility)

#### Second Team

* Josh Blankenship (LU, SR, 1st Base)
* Daunte Stuart (NWST, JR, 2nd Base)
* Kasten Furr (NO, JR, 3rd Base)
* Tyler Bischke (NO, JR, Shortstop)
* Bryce Grizzaffi (SELA, SR, Catcher)
* Kade Hunter (MCNS, SR, Designated Hitter)
* Josh Caraway (TAMUCC, JR, Outfielder)
* Braden Duhon (MCNS, JR, Outfielder)
* Issac Williams (NO, JR, Outfielder)
* Cal Carver (NWST, SR, Starting Pitcher)
* Tyler LeBlanc (NO, JR, Starting Pitcher)
* Will Kinzeler (SELA, JR, Starting Pitcher)
* Dalton Aspholm (SELA, SR, Relief Pitcher)
* Tre’ Obregon III (MCNS, SR, Utility)

## Schedule and results

Legend :
| | McNeese State win |
| | McNeese State loss |
| | Postponement/Cancelation/Suspensions |
| Bold | McNeese State team member |
| * | Non-Conference game |
| † | Make-Up Game |
2023 McNeese Cowboys baseball game log :
Regular season (35–23) :
February (4–4) :
| Date | Opponent | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | TV | Attendance | Overall record |
| Feb. 17 | Creighton* | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 1–0 | Rogers, Grant (1-0) | Ryan Windham (0-1) | Abraham, Ty (1) | | 1,015 | 1–0 |
| Feb. 18 | Creighton* | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 4–9 | Daniel Hammond (1-0) | Steward, Luke (0-1) | Tommy Steier (1) | | 1,001 | 1–1 |
| Feb. 19 | Creighton* | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 1–5 | Justin Kleinsorge (1-0) | Voss, Zach (0-1) | | | 1,060 | 1–2 |
| Feb. 21 | at Sam Houston* | Don Sanders Stadium • Huntsville, TX | 6–18 | David, Chandler (2-0) | Steward, Luke (0-2) | | ESPN+ | 878 | 1–3 |
| Feb. 24 | at UT Arlington* | Clay Gould Ballpark • Arlington, TX | 10–4 | Rogers, Grant (2-0) | Kuykendall, Thomas (0-1) | | | 399 | 2–3 |
| Feb. 25 | at UT Arlington* | Clay Gould Ballpark • Arlington, TX | 12–8 | Vega, Christian (1-0) | Peters, Connery (0-1) | | | 363 | 3–3 |
| Feb. 26 | at UT Arlington* | Clay Gould Ballpark • Arlington, TX | 6–12 | Noah, Caden (2-0) | Voss, Zach (0-2) | Norris, Zach (1) | | 351 | 3–4 |
| Feb. 28 | Louisiana* | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 5–4 | Morrow, Kainin (1-0) | Brendan Moody (0-1) | Vega, Christian (1) | | 1,405 | 4–4 |
March (14–4) :
| Date | Opponent | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | TV | Attendance | Overall record | SLC Record |
| Mar. 1 | at Southern* | Lee–Hines Field • Baton Rouge, LA | 10–3 | Jones, Burrell (1-0) | Antoine Harris (0-2) | | | 268 | 5–4 | |
| Mar. 3 | George Washington* | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 2–0 | Rogers, Grant (3-0) | Logan Koester (0-1) | | | 1,043 | 6–4 | |
| Mar. 4 | George Washington* | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 7–0 | Cherry, Derrick (1-0) | Austin Odell (1-3) | | | 1,052 | 7–4 | |
| Mar. 5 | George Washington* | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 7–6 | Vega, Christian (2-0) | Chris Knight (0-1) | | | 979 | 8–4 | |
| Mar. 8 | at Louisiana* | M. L. Tigue Moore Field at Russo Park • Lafayette, LA | 3–5 | Ray, Tommy (2-0) | Lejeune, Cameron (0-1) | Marshall, Blake (1) | | 3,959 | 8–5 | |
| Mar. 10 | Prairie View A&M* | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 9–0 | Rogers, Grant (4-0) | Victor Mendoza (0-2) | | | 1,081 | 9–5 | |
| Mar. 11 | Prairie View A&M* | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 10–0 (8 inn) | Cherry, Derrick (2-0) | Michael Dews (0-3) | | | 861 | 10–5 | |
| Mar. 12 | Prairie View A&M* | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 11–10 | Jones, Burrell (2-0) | Joshua Larzabal (0-1) | | | 1,040 | 11–5 | |
| Mar. 14 | Mississippi Valley State* | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 7–2 | Morrow, Kainin (2-0) | VALENZUELA, ISAIAH (1-3) | | | 958 | 12–5 | |
| Mar. 17 | Yale* | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 7–1 | Rogers, Grant (5-0) | Reese, Bryant (1-1) | | | 1,062 | 13–5 | |
| Mar. 18 | Yale* | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 8–1 | Cherry, Derrick (3-0) | Shaw, Colton (1-1) | Abraham, Ty (2) | | 1,037 | 14–5 | |
| Mar. 19 | Yale* | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 9–4 | Voss, Zach (1-2) | Easterly, Reid (2-1) | Vega, Christian (2) | | 1,030 | 15–5 | |
| Mar. 21 | Houston* | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 6–9 | CITELLI, Cade (1-2) | Morrow, Kainin (2-1) | MURRAY, Justin (2) | ESPN+ | 1,104 | 15–6 | |
| Mar. 24 | Nicholls | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 8–3 | Rogers, Grant (6-0) | Theriot, Tyler (2-4) | | | 1,020 | 16–6 | 1–0 |
| Mar. 25 | Nicholls | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 6–8 (12 inn) | Saltaformaggio, Nico (2-0) | Vega, Christian (2-1) | | | 1,320 | 16–7 | 1–1 |
| Mar. 26 | Nicholls | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 5–8 | Mancuso, Josh (2-1) | Voss, Zach (1-3) | Saltaformaggio, Nico (2) | | 1,068 | 16–8 | 1–2 |
| Mar. 28 | Southern* | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 12–5 | Moeller, JT (1-0) | Daren Smith (1-2) | | ESPN+ | 1,017 | 17–8 | |
| Mar. 31 | at Houston Christian | Husky Field • Houston, TX | 15–5 (7 inn) | Rogers, Grant (7-0) | Baumann, Baylor (0-2) | | | 200 | 18–8 | 2–2 |
April (10–7) :
| Date | Opponent | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | TV | Attendance | Overall record | SLC Record |
| Apr. 1 | at Houston Christian | Husky Field • Houston, TX | 2–4 | Zander, Walker (1-3) | Cherry, Derrick (3-1) | Smitherman, Javan (2) | ESPN+ | 300 | 18–9 | 2–3 |
| Apr. 2 | at Houston Christian | Husky Field • Houston, TX | 10–12 | Charles, Matthew (1-1) | Vega, Christian (2-2) | Smitherman, Javan (3) | ESPN+ | 250 | 18–10 | 2–4 |
| Apr. 6 | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 8–3 | Rogers, Grant (8-0) | Watson, Matthew (2-3) | | | | 19–10 | 3–4 |
| Apr. 7 | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 3–5 | Dickey, Kyle (1-0) | Cherry, Derrick (3-2) | Dean, Austin (3) | | 1,042 | 19–11 | 3–5 |
| Apr. 8 | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 4–3 | Jones, Burrell (3-0) | Purcell, Colin (2-3) | Moeller, JT (1) | ESPN+ | 1,076 | 20–11 | 4–5 |
| Apr. 11 | Louisiana Christian* | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 3–0 | Christian Vega (2–2) | Braxton Cooksey (2-3) | | ESPN+ | | 21–11 | |
| Apr. 12 | at Rice* | Reckling Park • Houston, TX | 7–6 | Hart, Cade (1-0) | Zaskoda, G. (0-1) | Cherry, Derrick (1) | CUSAtv | 1,667 | 22–11 | |
| Apr. 14 | at Southeastern Louisiana | Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field • Hammond, LA | 7–6 | Vega, Christian (3-2) | Lauve, Lance (2-1) | Abraham, Ty (3) | ESPN+ | 1,288 | 23–11 | 5–5 |
| Apr. 15 | at Southeastern Louisiana | Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field • Hammond, LA | 7–8 | Rodriguez, Jackson (1-0) | Vega, Christian (3-3) | | ESPN+ | 1,178 | 23–12 | 5–6 |
| Apr. 16 | at Southeastern Louisiana | Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field • Hammond, LA | 3–2 | Lejeune, Cameron (2-1) | Rodriguez, Jackson (1-1) | | ESPN+ | 1,263 | 24–12 | 6–6 |
| Apr. 21 | New Orleans | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 11–1 (7 inn) | Rogers, Grant (9-0) | Blanchard, Beau (0-3) | | ESPN+ | 1,138 | 25–12 | 7–6 |
| Apr. 22 | New Orleans | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 2–9 | Mitchell, Brandon (7-3) | Jones, Burrell (3-1) | | ESPN+ | 1,233 | 25–13 | 7–7 |
| Apr. 23 | New Orleans | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 6–2 | Abraham, Ty (1-0) | Mercer, Colton (2-4) | | ESPN+ | 1,132 | 26–13 | 8–7 |
| Apr. 25 | LSU–Alexandria | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 8–1 | Barthelemy, Brock (1-0) | Benevage, Zack (1-1) | | | 1,007 | 27–13 | |
| Apr. 28 | at Incarnate Word | Sullivan Field • San Antonio, TX | 7–8 | Hayward, Steve (6-3) | Abraham, Ty (1-1) | | | 84 | 27–14 | 8–8 |
| Apr. 29 | at Incarnate Word | Sullivan Field • San Antonio, TX | 6–8 | Cassidy, K (2-2) | Jones, Burrell (3-2) | Hayward, S (5) | | 147 | 27–15 | 8–9 |
| Apr. 30 | at Incarnate Word | Sullivan Field • San Antonio, TX | 9–2 | Barthelemy, Brock (2-0) | Berens, M (2-3) | | ESPN+ | 110 | 28–15 | 9–9 |
May (5–6) :
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | TV | Attendance | Overall record | SLC Record |
| Battle of the Border ||||||||||||
| May 5 | Lamar | | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 6–4 | Rogers, Grant (10-0) | Ellis, Jacob (3-3) | Abraham, Ty (4) | ESPN+ | 1,674 | 29–15 | 10–9 |
| May 6 | Lamar | | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 4–3 | Jones, Burrell (4-2) | Tauzin, Kole (0-2) | Abraham, Ty (5) | ESPN+ | 1,172 | 30–15 | 11–9 |
| May 7 | Lamar | | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 9–10 | Cleveland, Jackson (1-2) | Abraham, Ty (1-2) | Morse, Trhea (1) | ESPN+ | 1,099 | 30–16 | 11–10 |
| May 9 | Nicholls* | | Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didier Field • Thibodaux, LA | 7–3 | Barthelemy, Brock (3-0) | Evans, Cade (0-2) | | | 207 | 31–16 | |
| May 12 | at Northwestern State | | H. Alvin Brown–C. C. Stroud Field • Natchitoches, LA | 2–5 | Carver, Cal (6-3) | Rogers, Grant (10-1) | Froehlich, Kyle (7) | ESPN+ | 732 | 31–17 | 11–11 |
| May 13 | at Northwestern State | | H. Alvin Brown–C. C. Stroud Field • Natchitoches, LA | 4–2 | Abraham, Ty (2-2) | Prestwich, Chase (4-4) | Barthelemy, Brock (2) | ESPN+ | 308 | 32–17 | 12–11 |
| May 14 | at Northwestern State | | H. Alvin Brown–C. C. Stroud Field • Natchitoches, LA | 4–8 | Brown, Drayton (5-7) | Jones, Burrell (4-3) | | ESPN+ | 328 | 32–18 | 12–12 |
| May 16 | at LSU* | 5 | Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field • Baton Rouge, LA | 4–7 | Griffin Herring (3-1) | Barthelemy, Brock (3-1) | Thatcher Hurd (3) | SECN+ | 10,576 | 32–19 | |
| May 17 | Miami of Ohio* | | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 8–14 | Nick Vardavas (3-2) | Jones, Burrell (4-4) | Martin Sosna (1) | | 1,002 | 32–20 | |
| May 18 | Miami of Ohio* | | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 13–5 | Rogers, Grant (11-1) | Connor Oliver (2-6) | Vega, Christian (3) | | 992 | 33–20 | |
| May 19 | Miami of Ohio* | | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 6–13 | Connor Preisel (2-1) | Moeller, JT (1-1) | | | 975 | 33–21 | |
Post-season (2–2) :
Southland Tournament (2–2) :
| Date | Opponent | (Seed)/Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | TV | Attendance | Overall record | Tournament record |
| May 23 | vs. (7) Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | (6) | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 4–0 | Rogers, Grant (12-1) | Watson, Matthew (6-5) | | ESPN+ | 884 | 34–21 | 1–0 |
| May 24 | vs. (1) Nicholls | (6) | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 2–3 | Galy, Gavin (1-1) | Cherry, Derrick (3-3) | | ESPN+ | 757 | 34–22 | 1–1 |
| May 25 | vs. (2) Incarnate Word | (6) | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 3–0 | Hudgens, Bryson (1-0) | Berens, Micah (2-5) | Barthelemy, Brock (3) | ESPN+ | | 35–22 | 2–1 |
| May 26 | vs. (5) Northwestern State | (6) | Joe Miller Ballpark • Lake Charles, LA | 2–6 | Brown, Drayton (6-6) | Jones, Burrell (4-5) | | ESPN+ | | 35–23 | 2–2 |
    Schedule Source:
*Rankings are based on the team's current ranking in the D1Baseball poll. |}