Following a dramatic Red River Rivalry baseball series victory, Louisiana Christian gets a rare opportunity to host an NCAA Division I opponent at Billy Allgood Field this evening at 6 when McNeese visits.

It’s the first time since 2008, when Northwestern State came to Pineville, that a D-1 foe came to the LCU campus for a baseball contest. Under the leadership of veteran coach Mike Byrnes, and with the support of community and campus benefactors, Billy Allgood Field has been significantly upgraded since then.

Byrnes is nearing a career milestone, with 494 wins since taking over for the 2001 season. This LCU team is 14-4 overall and second in the Red River Athletic Conference with a 5-1 record early in the league race.

McNeese has won seven straight after losing its first five, and begins a six-game road trip today. This is the fifth meeting this century between the programs, with the Cowboys taking all of those, including a 3-0 win in Lake Charles last year. McNeese and LC first played in 1953 and the Cowboys own a 27-9 series lead. They last visited Allgood Field in 1999.

LCU won its Red River Rivalry home series with LSUA by sweeping a Saturday doubleheader 6-5 and 5-3, after LSUA posted a 21-16 win Friday.

In the opener, the Generals overcame a 9-run fourth inning by the Wildcats and rallied from a 12-2 deficit to win. LSUA scored 11 combined runs in the seventh and eighth innings to get the upper hand while cracking 20 hits.

Saturday’s doubleheader wasn’t as explosive. LCU got a game-winning RBI single in the ninth inning of the opener by Adrian Aguilar, in a game that was supposed to last only seven frames. The Wildcats won the series with their third-game triumph as Aguilar finished 5 of 8 at the plate for the day.

LSUA is 5-4 in the RRAC, but 7-12 overall.