BEAUMONT – The tough tests just keep on coming for the Lamar University baseball team. In the last four games it has faced a nationally-ranked Rice and the league's front runner in Southeastern Louisiana, and now the Cardinals will try to snap its five-game skid over the weekend when it hosts the second-place Bearkats of Sam Houston.
 
The series, which takes place over Jim Gilligan Days as designated by Beaumont Mayor Becky Ames, will get started at 6 p.m. Friday, followed by a 2 p.m. first pitch Saturday and 1:00 finale Sunday. LU (31-15, 16-8 Southland Conference) will honor head coach Jim Gilligan in his final weekend as a head coach in the Vincent-Beck dugout, where has won more than 800 games.
 
The weekend is also big on the field for Lamar, which is looking to clinch a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament, and then work for a favorable seed in tourney. Sam Houston (35-18, 19-5) is three games up on third-place Big Red, and two games back of SLU in first place.
 
Saturday and Sunday will be busy days at The Beck. Saturday, with its annual reunion, The LUBPA will honor the 1992-96 Cardinal classes in pregame ceremonies, and right after the Southland Conference and Lamar University will recognize Jim Gilligan his more than 40 years of service.
 
Fans are encouraged to arrive early and take part in the pregame festivities surrounding the celebration Saturday. For fans that walk up day of the game, tickets will be sold for $1, and it is going to be $1 Hot Dog Day, sponsored by Chartwells. While supplies last, Lamar athletics will be handing out commemorative Jim Gilligan stadium cups and free autographed mini baseball bats. There will also be a bounce house at the stadium for the children in attendance.
 
Sunday's game is designated as senior day for the Cardinals, in which they will say goodbye to 11 seniors. Eight pitchers- Will Hibbs, Billy Love, Jayson McKinley, Enrique Oquendo, Travis Moore, Joe Farley, Kyle Leggett and Connor Thomas- and three position players- Stijn van der Meer, Jake Nash and Jacoby Middleton- will play their final series at Vincent-Beck Stadium.
 
Both Hibbs (9-2, 2.46 earned run average) and Love (5-3, 2.97) will take the hill on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Hibbs will try to get back on the winning track Friday after suffering his first loss in nearly two months Friday against Southeastern. He's worked 80.1 innings with 83 strikeouts and only 22 earned runs allowed. Right-hander Heath Donica (8-3, 3.00) will face him. Donica has worked 81 frames on the year and has 62 punch outs with 27 earned runs allowed.
 
Love has pitched in 12 games, 11 starts, with 66 2/3 innings pitched. He's allowed 22 earned runs allowed with 47 strikeouts. He will be opposed righty Riley Gossett (6-0, 2.76), who was worked 11 starts for 71 2/3 frames. He's accounted for 47 strikeouts and 22 earned runs.
 
Neither team has announced a starter for Sunday's finale.
 
Sam Houston's pitching staff has a 4.03 earned run average and gives up 5.6 runs a game. As an offensive unit, the Kats hit at a .289 clip- which is third in the league, one spot in front of LU. They score 5.9 runs a contest with 129 extra base hits in 486 base knocks.
 
Bryce Johnson leads the team with a .364 batting average and 42 runs scored. He has 25 runs batted in, only behind Zach Smith's 31 and Andrew Fregia's 27. Smith has a .295 batting average and Fregia .256. Matt Broadbent has a .330 batting average and Riley McKnight sits at .305.
 
The league's leader in RBI (54) in Reid Russell will lead the Cardinal offense into the series. He has a .371 batting average, followed closely by Stijn van der Meer's .365. Van der Meer is also second in runs (36) behind Jake Nash's 36 and followed by Russell's 34. Nash has 38 RBI and Jacoby Middleton has 36.
 
Nash's average of .313 closely follows Bryndan Arredondo's .315.
 
Once the Sam Houston series is over, the Cardinals will turn their sights to a very hot Stephen F. Austin team. The Lumberjacks are out of league play for the weekend.