Last summer Julian Gonzales had options.

The McNeese State outfielder earned his degree and could have headed to graduate school and start his journey to becoming a doctor.

He could have moved on and played one last season elsewhere as a grad transfer.

Or, the Sulphur native and St. Louis Catholic product could have stayed home, giving the Cowboys one more season before continuing his education.

“All that stuff that I had lined up I can do anytime when baseball is over,”

Gonzales said. “I only have one chance to be able to play baseball. This is one last time I get to play with these guys and one last year of baseball.”

Looking at it that way, the decision wasn’t hard.

“I have time to get to everything else,” he said.

Gonzales was granted the extra year by the NCAA because of COVID-19, which wiped out the 2020 season after 17 games. And that was not even the worst part of that year for Gonzales and the residents of Southwest Louisiana.

Just when the fall semester was beginning, and the Cowboys were getting back on the field, Hurricane Laura hit and was followed six weeks later by Delta.

Many athletes decided that was enough and entered the NCAA transfer portal. Gonzales said he never thought of that. Instead, he helped the healing process.

Gonzales was one of several baseball and softball players who got together and helped clean up yards in the community despite their own losses.

“It was something I just felt we needed to do,” Gonzales said at the time. “This is my home and I wanted to help be a part of the cleanup.”

That, along with his other work in Southwest Louisiana, led him to be awarded the Southland Conference’s2021 Steve McCarty Citizenship Award.

“He is a servant at heart … he always puts the team’s interest ahead of his own,” McNeese head coach Justin Hill said.

In the classroom is where Gonzales excelled. He finished McNeese with a 3.95 grade point average in biology pre-medicine with minors in chemistry and psychology.

Gonzales is as impressive on the field for the Cowboys as they go for a third consecutive SLC Tournament championship this year.

During last weekend’s bracket play, Gonzales finished by reaching base in his last nine plate appearances. He also homered during the three victories which have the Cowboys seven in a row and 11 straight in Southland tourney play.

The home run was his career-high ninth, good for second on the team. After a dismal start this spring that saw his batting average in the .170s, Gonzales has raised it to .282.

His 44 RBIs leads the Cowboys and is seventh in the conference. His 51 runs scored places him tied for fourth.

Always known for speed (20 stolen bases) and defense, it’s Gonzales’ power numbers which are most impressive. He is ninth in the league in homers and sixth in total bases (106).

“The power has always been there,” Gonzales said. “Hard work over time let the hard work pay off.”

Nothing Gonzales does surprises his coach.

“He has always been strong,” Hill said. “There is a reason why as a freshman he was voted the team’s hardest worker. He has earned everything he’s gotten.

“The kid is a winner.”

Gonzales said he hopes he finishes his time in Lake Charles just that way, with one last title won in front of the home crowd.

“That would be great, to do it in front of our fans,” Gonzales said.

That would make putting medical school on hold worth it.