Nothing to lose: Underdog Cowboys relish second chance to play in NCAA Tournament
Published 1:00 pm Friday, June 4, 2021
Jim Gazzolo, Special to the American Press
Riding hot bats and strong arms, the Cowboys are heading back to the NCAA Tournament with hopes of making some noise.
With all they have been through, why not?
“We are excited but we are not backing down from anybody,” said second baseman Nate Fisbeck. “We think we can play with anybody.”
McNeese State will find out tonight, when it makes history at the Fort Worth Regional against Texas Christian.
For the first time the Cowboys (32-28) are making back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament having earned their second consecutive Southland Conference championship. They went 0-2 in 2019, losing both their games by one run. There was no postseason in 2020.
“We get a second chance,” said pitcher Will Dion. “We want to make the most of that.”
It won’t be easy for the Cowboys, who sport a 2-10 record in NCAA play head into tonight’s game against regional host and top seed TCU (40-17), the sixth national seed.
The Horned Frogs are one of the national powers, having made 15 of the last 17 tournaments. They are also not the only good team at the double-elimination regional, which could run through Monday. The winner will play the South Carolina Regional champ for the right to go to Omaha, Nebraska, for the College World Series.
“There are no bad teams there,” McNeese head coach Justin Hill said of the Fort Worth Regional. “It is a great atmosphere, one of the best in college baseball. I’m sure it will be a little bit rowdy. It will be a tall task for us but we are ready to go.”
First pitch for the Cowboys is set for 6 p.m. and will stream on ESPN3.
Along with TCU, Oregon State is headed to Fort Worth as the second seed. At 34-22 the Beavers have a solid history in the tournament, making their 20th appearance in it. They won the 2018 College World Series, beating Arkansas in the title game.
As if that was not enough, another team will have its local fans on hand as Dallas Baptist (37-15) is the third seed and will play OSU at 1 p.m. today. DBU is no slouch either, having been to 10 regionals in the last 14 seasons.
“This is one tough regional with a lot of really good baseball teams,” Hill said. “That’s what you expect when you make the tournament.”
The Cowboys will have their own experience to count on, though. Most of McNeese’s players were on the 2019 club that got a taste of regional play and have stuck around through a lot of tough moments just for this opportunity.
“We wanted to come back and finish our run,” said outfielder Clayton Rasbeary, who is going home for the regional. Rasbeary is a fifth-year senior from Rockwall, Texas, about an hour from Fort Worth.
“It is great to be going home to play,” said Rasbeary, who was the SLC Tournament MVP, hitting three home runs, including one in the title game to account for all of the McNeese runs in a 2-1 victory over Sam Houston State.
“TCU is an awesome place to play at,” he added. “To get a chance to play at a place like that, against a program like that, is just great.”
The Cowboys are underdogs but have been all year, and they like it. They are also ready to face a national seed.
“Playing a big team will be fun,” Rasbeary said. “The juices will be flowing more than normal.”
While McNeese scored 35 runs in its four SLC wins, it is the pitching that may give the Cowboys their best chance of pulling off any upsets. The Cowboys were tough to hit during in the SLC Tournament, allowing five runs.
McNeese pitchers posted an earned run average of 1.36 during a tournament that was known for its big scores. Over 33 innings they struck out 34 and held opponents to a .154 batting average.
“I’m looking forward to pitching in the regional again,” Dion said. “We are all looking forward to another shot.”
But Dion will not get the start against the Horned Frogs. Instead Hill will give the ball to another left, Jonathan Ellison (5-3, 3.06). Dion will be given an extra day of rest after throwing 10 innings last weekend.
“After talking with Will we felt this is the best way to go,” Hill explained. “He pitched a lot of us last week so this seems right.”
Dion could be used in relief if McNeese has a chance to win the game in the final innings, adding another weapon to an improved bullpen. Otherwise he will start Saturday’s game, Hill said.
“We have struggled with lefties all year,” said TCU catcher Zach Humphries. “We will have to wait on curveballs and take them the other way. It will be a challenge against good left-handers.”
TCU will start lefty Austin Kolb (7-1, 3.74).
He will face a McNeese lineup led by Rasbeary, who was 7-for-14 with three homers and six runs batted in during the SLC Tournament. He was one of five Cowboys to hit over .300. McNeese hit .323.
“We are playing really good baseball right now,” Hill said. “We are more prepared than we were before. I am more prepared than I was before.”
Head coach Justin Hill addresses the McNeese State baseball team at Texas Christian’s Lupton Baseball Stadium & Williams-Reilly Field in Fort Worth, Texas. The Cowboys, the Southland Conference Tournament champions, are playing in their second consecutive NCAA Tournament, a program first.
