LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA -- The University of the Incarnate Word baseball team travels to Lake Charles, Louisiana, for a three-game conference matchup against McNeese on Friday-Sunday at Joe Miller Ballpark. Game one is set for Friday at 6:30 p.m. (CT).
 
THE GAMES
Friday, March 22, at 6:30 p.m. (CT)
Saturday, March 23, at 3 p.m. (CT)
Sunday, March 24, at 1 p.m. (CT)
 
HISTORY VS MCNEESE

• The Cowboys have an 8-1 advantage over the Cardinals in the all-time series.
• The teams first played on April 25-27, 2014, when the Cowboys swept the Cardinals in a three-game series.
• The teams last played on March 18-20, 2016, when the Cowboys won two games of the three-game series.

 
HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST WEEK

• The Cardinals captured a 6-1 victory over Texas State on Tuesday.
• Lee Thomas had a 3-for-4 outing with a double and a run.
• Tyler Miller earned the win, striking out three batters in 2.0 innings pitched.
• With Sean Arnold's hit against the Bobcats, he has reached base in 17 consecutive games, while Antonio Valdez is on a 19-game reached base streak.
• UIW went 1-2 in its conference series against Sam Houston State (March 15-17), with its lone win being an 8-2 victory on March 16.
• Tyler Miller (2-3) earned the win, holding the Bearkats to two runs on five hits while striking out three batters in 5.0 innings pitched; Bernie Martinez earned his second save of the season, striking out three batters in 3.0 innings pitched (March 16).
• Taylor Smith paced the team in the Cardinals' 8-2 win on March 16. He had a 3-for-4 contest, including two doubles, two RBI and two runs.
• Jordan Thompson had two hits with a home run, two RBI and two runs (March 16).

 
SCOUTING THE COWBOYS

• McNeese is 13-8 overall, 2-1 in the Southland Conference, after a 1-0 win against Houston on Tuesday.
• Shane Selman leads the Cowboys with 28 hits, 18 runs, 19 RBI, and .341 batting average.
• The Cowboys lead the Southland Conference with 19 home runs.

 
MARTINEZ ON THE MOUND

• Martinez was named Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week on March 5 after a successful week on the mound.
• He led the Cardinals to a 6-5 win against No. 23 Texas A&M on Feb. 27.
• He also notched his first save of the season in UIW's 6-2 win over UT-Arlington on March 3.
• He earned his second save of the season in UIW's 8-2 win over Sam Houston State on March 16.
• Martinez has four wins, 11th in the nation.

 
THREE CHEERS FOR SMITH

• Freshman catcher Taylor Smith has started in 20 of 21 games so far. He has notched 30 hits, 24 runs and 27 RBI; he has a .411 batting average.
• Smith has also tallied seven home runs and eight doubles for a conference-best .808 slugging percentage. He has amassed five two-hit games, a three-hit game, and two four-hit games.
• His season has been highlighted by a 4-for-6 outing with two home runs and five RBI in UIW's 15-7 win over Notre Dame on Feb. 23.
• Smith followed the Notre Dame game with a perfect 4-for-4 outing with two RBI in the Cardinals' 6-2 win over UT-Arlington on March 3.
• Smith recorded his second two-home run game in UIW's 11-6 loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on March 10, blasting a solo home run as well as a three-run bomb for four RBI.
• Smith racked up his third two-home run game in the Cardinals' 19-4 win over UMass on March 12, hitting a three-run blast and a grand slam.
• Smith leads the conference with seven home runs.

 
TALK ABOUT THOMPSON

• Freshman centerfielder Jordan Thompson is off to a hot start as a Cardinal, starting in 20 games.
• Thompson has a .303 batting average, including 20 hits, 12 runs, and 18 RBI.
• Thompson's hot start was driven by a 2-for-4 outing with a double and five RBIs in UIW's 12-1 win over Hofstra on Feb. 16.
• Thompson was 2-for-4 with a run and three RBI against the 23rd-ranked Aggies on Feb. 27, including a three-run bomb that ended up securing the victory for UIW.

 
CARDINALS SWOOP IN AND STEAL YOUR BASE

• Jordan Thompson has amassed seven stolen bases in the first 21 games of the season -- fourth in the conference -- while Sean Arnold has registered five.
• Eddy Gonzalez and Antonio Valdez have recorded four stolen bases, while Shea Gutierrez has logged three stolen bases.
• Ryan Gonzalez, Kyle Bergeron and Ridge Rogers have all notched two stolen bases.
• The Cardinals have 30 stolen bases this season, third in the SLC.

 
TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM

• The Cardinals ranks No. 2 in the nation with 16 sacrifice flies.
• Ryan Gonzalez leads the team with four sacrifice flies -- best in the conference and seventh in the nation -- while Antonio Valdez and Jordan Thompson have recorded three sacrifice flies.
• Kyle Bergeron and Taylor Smith have recorded two sacrifice flies each.
• Ryan Flores and Ridge Rogers have chipped in one sac fly apiece.
• Ryan Flores leads the team with two sacrifice hits.
• Sean Arnold, Ryan Gonzalez, Lee Thomas, Shea Gutierrez and Chance Medina have one sacrifice hit.

 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE

• UIW leads the Southland Conference in sacrifice flies (16).
• The defense has turned 17 double plays, fourth in the conference.
• The Cardinals rank second in the conference with 226 hits.
• UIW has a .973 fielding percentage, third-best in the conference.
• The pitching staff has a 3.75 ERA, third in the conference.
• The Cardinals are third in the conference with 30 stolen bases.
• UIW is second in the conference with a .311 batting average.

 
IN THE NATION

• The Cardinals have amassed 16 sacrifice flies, second in the nation.
• The Cardinals are 12th in the nation in batting average (.311).
• UIW ranks No. 15 in the nation with 226 hits.
• Taylor Smith ranks No. 16 nationally with seven home runs.
• Ryan Gonzalez is seventh in the nation with four sacrifice flies.
• Bernie Martinez is 11th in the nation with four wins.
• Antonio Valdez is second in the nation with four triples.

 
SUCCESS AGAINST POWER FIVE OPPONENTS

• The Cardinals defeated No. 23 Texas A&M, 6-5, on Feb. 27. This win marked their second win over a Power 5 opponent in the same week, the first time the Cardinals have done so in program history.
• The game was highlighted by a Jordan Thompson three-run home run, which ended up being the hit that secured UIW's victory.
• Bernie Martinez earned the win, pitching 4.2 innings while holding the Aggies to just two hits and one run.
• The Cardinals lost, 2-1, against Notre Dame on Feb. 22 but exploded for a 15-7 win against the Fighting Irish on Feb. 23.
• Tyler Miller notched a career-high 10 strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work in the 2-1 loss to Notre Dame, allowing just one run on five hits (Feb. 22).
• 15 runs in the 15-7 win against Notre Dame (Feb. 23) marks the most runs scored against a Power 5 opponent in program history.
• Taylor Smith went 4-for-6 while registering his first two home runs as a Cardinal in the game against Notre Dame on Feb. 23. He also tallied five RBI. This was Smith's second multi-hit game of his career and marked a career high in both hits (four) and RBI (five).
• Ryan Flores and Tyler Pettit contributed three hits each against the Fighting Irish; UIW amassed 11 hits overall, marking the fourth game of the season where the Cardinals have had double-digit hits.

 
HALLMARK HITS FROM 2018

• In his first year as head coach, Patrick Hallmark led the program to its most overall (29) wins and most conference (13) wins -- and its first winning season -- since joining Division I and the Southland Conference.
• Ridge Rogers was selected Southland Conference Freshman of the Year after the 2018 season.
• Rogers was also named to the 2018 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America team, becoming the program's first All-American since joining Division I in 2014.

 
WHAT'S IN A NAME
Sullivan Field, now sponsored by H-E-B, underwent renovations in the fall. Astroturf was installed in the infield, and the stadium received new backstops, netting, and other visual improvements. 
 
PRESEASON HONORS

• Kyle Bergeron and Eddy Gonzalez earned preseason first-team All-SLC, while Ryan Flores earned preseason second-team All-SLC.
• Cody Allen was named to the NCBWA 2019 Stopper of the Year Preseason Watchlist.
• Bergeron was named to the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watchlist.

 
EXPERIENCED LINEUP
The Cardinals' entire starting rotation returns, and the team lost only one outfielder from the starting lineup.
 
UP NEXT
The Cardinals return to San Antonio for a marquee matchup against the University of Texas on Tuesday. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m. (CT) at Nelson Wolff Municipal Stadium.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on Twitter @UIWAthletics and like UIW Athletics on Facebook at UIW Athletics.