BEAUMONT, Texas — After a midweek game against Rice, the Lamar University baseball team returns to Southland Conference action Friday opening a three-game series against Nicholls. The Cardinals will also be looking to put a positive stamp what has been a strong start to the current homestand, having won three of the first five games.
Both Lamar (16-8/2-1 SLC) and Nicholls opened up conference winning two of three games to jump into a four-way tie for first in the early stages of the season. While LU took two of three at home against New Orleans, the Colonels surprised some by going on the road and taking two of three from McNeese. Nicholls comes into the weekend with a 15-12 overall record having won four of their last six contests.
One league school has yet to open its conference scheduled (Northwestern State) but the Demons start conference Friday against UNO in New Orleans.
The Cardinals bring two of the league’s top offensive talents into the contest in seniors Ben MacNaughton and Ryan Snell. MacNaughton is currently second in the league with a .373 batting average, while Snell leads the league in home runs (9).
Defensively, the Cardinals bring the best pitching staff (in terms of ERA) into the contest. The Cardinals have a league-best 3.65 earned run average 24 games this season. The Cardinals are also holding opponents to a .225 batting average which is the second-best mark in the Southland Conference.
The series between the two schools dates back to the 1970 season and is one where Lamar has had the upper hand. The Cardinals hold a 62-47-2 (.568) all-time advantage in the series, which includes a 39-26-1 (.598) mark in Beaumont. With that being said, the Colonels have had the advantage lately winning eight of the last 10 games.
All three contests will be streamed live on ESPN+. First pitch for Friday is slated for a 6 p.m. start while Saturday’s game is slated for 2 and Sunday at 1 p.m.