The Cowboys are hoping this weekend’s series at Joe Miller Ballpark is not the final home games of their season.

With just two weekends of Southland Conference play remaining, McNeese State opens another critical three-game series in its hopes of not only hosting one of the two playoff pods but winning the regular season title.

“There is still a lot of big baseball to be played and a lot can happen,” said McNeese head coach Justin Hill. “I think we will know exactly what needs to be done after this weekend, but we have to take care of our business first.”

The Cowboys host Stephen F. Austin starting Friday at 6 p.m. The Lumberjacks are desperate for wins as they are currently one of three teams not in the postseason picture.

SFA is just 4-20 in the league and four games back of the eighth and final playoff spots. The Lumberjacks are 13-29 overall and just 4-15 on the road.

McNeese is 21-5 at home. The Cowboys are currently in third place, with a record of 17-7 and 30-11 overall. 

They have, however, lost four of their last five overall, including two straight last weekend at Texas-Rio Grande Valley. Those losses knocked them out of first place and a game behind Southeastern.

UTRGV is second in the standings, a half-game between the two. Rio Grande has played three more games and will finish their conference season this weekend.

“That will tell us likely what we need to do the final weekend,” said Hill. “It is exciting to be in the race this late. 

“If you told us going into the season we would be a game back with six to play, we would have taken it.”

The title race is as close as it could be with six teams, over half the league of 11, still in the hunt. Only three games separate those five clubs.

Of the group, Northwestern State is playing a nonconference series before finishing the following weekend at home against McNeese. Lamar, in fourth place, is at Southeastern for a set while UTRGV is at Incarnate Word.

Sixth-place Houston Christian hosts Corpus Christi, having lost five of its last six league games.

The Cowboys know they can’t get caught up in everything around them and can’t get caught watching the scoreboard.

“We are going to stick with how we have gone about it all year,” said Hill. “We’ve done a real good job taking care of our business and doing what is in front of us. We have enjoyed the process and are not about to change.”

Conner Westenburg leads the country in triples with nine and is second in the league in runs scored with 55 to lead the McNeese offense.

Hill said he would play this weekend as if it were a tournament, meaning he only named a starter for Game 1. Lefty Cooper Golden gets the ball to open the series with a 3-2 record and a 5.66 earned run average.

The rest of the staff will be used as needed according to Hill. Friday’s game will also be Jace Peterson Night, where the first 100 fans in attendance will get a 5×7 card of the former McNeese and major leaguer.

Game 2 will be played on Saturday at 2 p.m., with the series finale scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.

Sunday will also be Senior Day as the Cowboys will honor players in what they hope won’t be their last game in their home park.