LAKE CHARLES, La. – The Louisiana Christian University baseball program did something Tuesday night that had not been done by a Diamond Cats team in 17 seasons, defeating an NCAA Division I opponent for the first time since February 26, 2008, when they stunned the nearly 30-win McNeese Cowboys, 4-3.
 
The Pokes entered the week as the 11th-best mid-major in all of NCAA Division I baseball by 11Point7.com as MSU boasts a victory over the Big 12's Houston two weeks ago.
 
The victim in the last David vs. Goliath matchup that saw the Wildcats come out on top was fellow Southland member, Nicholls State University, who LC defeated by a score of 8-3 in Pineville.
 
The Basics:
 

• Score
  • Louisiana Christian – 4
  • McNeese – 3

 

• Records
  • Louisiana Christian (24-23, 13-14 Red River)
  • McNeese (29-8, 16-5 Southland)

 

• Location
  • Lake Charles, Louisiana – Joe Miller Ballpark

 

• Series History
  • Cowboys Lead 32-12 (27.3%)

 

• Winning Streak
  • Wildcats (W1) | Cowboys' Last Win: April 23, 2024 (6-4)

 
Wildcats Top Performers:
 

• Gavin Vordick can now tell his future grandchildren that he has homered off a pitcher at the highest collegiate level, taking the first pitch of his fifth inning at-bat over the left field wall for a solo home run, the sixth of his debut season on "The Hill" and double that of the next closest Wildcats (Braxton Cooksey and Tyler McKenna, three each).

 

• Trip Flotte became the first pitcher since Craig Naquin to pick up the win over a D1 while Cowan Alfonso usurped Scotty Jutze for the last student-athlete to log a save in this situation with Flotte earning his second dub of 2025 and Alfonso closing the deal on his sixth save of the campaign during a 1-2-3 final frame including swinging strikeout to end the game.

 

• Cooksey probably had the biggest hit of the evening, a two-RBI double down the line that scored both Harrison Waxley and McKenna to give the Cats their first lead of the day and showed the Cowboys that the visitors had no fear.

 

• Waxley as well as Braden Trull went 2-for-4 apiece with the former scoring both times and the latter doubling while Brady Huffman also picked up multiple knocks.

 

• Caleb Duhon pushed across the go-ahead run with a pinch-hit, RBI-groundout in the sixth that concluded the run production on either side.

 

• Of the nine pitchers that were all used for a full inning, Alfonso, Dylan Beier, Jacob Bareswill, Colton Williams, Seth Whitney, Kade Linn, and Cooksey all refused to surrender a run while Coleman Haltom did yield one score, but it was unearned.

 
Next:
  

• With his fourth career triumph over an NCAA Division I team under his belt (Prairie View A&M – twice, Nicholls and McNeese), LCU turns its focus towards Texas College on Friday (12 / 3 p.m.) and Saturday (12 p.m.).

 

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