BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University softball team looks for its record-setting eight straight win at 5 p.m. Friday when it takes on Jacksonville State to open the Louisiana Tech Classic in Ruston, La.
 
The Cardinals (8-2) look to break the school record of seven straight wins set in the 2014 season. They'll have to do it against a Jacksonville State (5-5) squad that has dropped three games to top-20 squads. Last season, the Gamecocks went 38-17. This season, Jacksonville State is picked to finish second in the Ohio Valley Conference.
 
The Cardinals are slated to play four games this weekend. LU faces Grambling State (1-5) at 1 0 a.m. Saturday, Liberty (3-8) at 12:15 p.m. Saturday and host Louisiana Tech (8-2) at 10 a.m. Sunday. LU is 2-0 all-time against Grambling State, 1-0 against Liberty and 0-3 against Louisiana Tech. This will be the first-ever meeting between the Cardinals and Jacksonville State.
 
"I think we have the potential to do well this weekend," LU coach Holly Bruder said. "I believe that we can win at least three games."
 
LU has outscored its opponents 59-28 during the current win streak. As a team, the Cardinals are hitting .336, which is 39^th in the nation. LU's on-base percentage of .474 ranks 10^th nationally.
 
"We have a number of people stepping up this season," Bruder said. "We're not relying on jut person to come through for us. Our depth is paying off."
 
Junior first baseman Ashley McDowell leads LU with a .423 batting average and .654 slugging percentage. McDowell also leads LU with nine stolen bases in 11 attempts. Brynn Baca is hitting .400, while Sarah Ragsdale is hitting .393. Sable Hankins, who is hitting .333, leads the Cardinals with two home runs and 11 RBIs. Freshman Kelly Meeuwsen has 10 RBIs.
 
Junior right-hander Ciara Luna (4-0, 1.52) and sophomore right-hander Laura Napoli (3-2, 3.19) are LU's probable starters for the weekend.
 
"Our pitching need to rise up a bit," Bruder said. "We definitely need our bullpen to be better. We also need our defense to be more consistent. I do believe we have the best defense in the conference, but we need to be better. That's something we worked on in practice this week."
 
This weekend kicks off 16 straight games away from the LU Softball Complex for the Cardinals, who are 17-5 at home since the facility opened last season. LU's next home date is March 25, when the Cardinals host Incarnate Word in a 3 p.m. Southland Conference doubleheader.
 
"We love playing at home in front of our fans," Bruder said. "But we have to take care of our business on the road. We're off to a great start this season. We have to keep it going."