BEAUMONT, Texas — It's a return to WAC play for the Lamar University baseball team as they get set to open a three-game series against Stephen F. Austin. The three games are part of a larger five-game homestand for the Red and White which kicked off Wednesday evening.
Winners in six of their last nine, the Cardinals (22-15) return home from a successful six-game road trip that saw the Cards post a 4-2 record which included wins over Pacific and Oklahoma.
With the non-conference games for the week over the Cardinals have now turned their attention back to WAC play. Big Red enters the week in second place of the Southwest Division just a game back of Sam Houston, and just 4.5 back of the overall lead.
The Cardinals enter the week looking to keep the momentum going over SFA – a team they swept earlier this season. The Lumberjacks enter the week 12-22 (.353) overall and are currently tied for fifth in the WAC's Southwest division with a 6-9 (.400) record. SFA is currently tied with Tarleton State and a game back of Abilene Christian and UT Rio Grande Valley in the standings. SFA comes to Beaumont playing some of their best baseball of the season. The 'Jacks have currently won four of their last five games – including a series win over UT Rio Grande Valley – with the lone loss during that stretch a 13-2 decision at Texas. Over the course of the previous two games, the Lumberjacks have scored 28 runs.
The series between the two schools has been one that has heavily favored LU over the years. It dates back to the 1979 season with the Cardinals owning a 72-26 (.735) overall record. That mark includes a 43-9 (.827) record in games played in Beaumont. Big Red has won six straight in the season, including a series sweep earlier this year in Nacogdoches.
First pitch for Friday's series opener is slated for 6 p.m., with Saturday scheduled for 2 p.m. The series concludes Sunday with a 1 p.m. start time. All three games will be televised live on the WAC Digital Network, with the Friday and Sunday games also being broadcast live on Newstalk 560 KLVI.
Big Red Set for WAC Rematch with Stephen F. Austin
Lamar opens second half of WAC play against SFA