HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Fresh off of its big win over traditional power Rice in comeback fashion, Lamar University Baseball will return to the road for its Southland Conference opener at reigning league champion Sam Houston State in a series that starts at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Don Sanders Stadium in Southland Conference action.
 
Mike Leal's grand slam in the sixth and another four-run eighth inning lifted Lamar (8-5, 0-0 Southland) to a 10-4 win over Rice Tuesday. Sam Houston (8-5, 0-0) enters after a nail-biting loss to nationally-ranked Baylor. The second game of the three-game series is slated for 3 p.m. Saturday and the finale at 1 p.m. Sunday.
 
Righties Tanner Driskill (1-1, 1.83 earned run average) and Heath Donica (2-1, 0.39) will face off Friday night. In 23 innings of work, Donica has only five walks, and Driskill has none in 19.2 frames. Each have started three games and each have been a part of a shutout.
 
Sam Houston has not chosen a Saturday starter, but Jace Cambell (1-0, 1.93) will be on the hill for the Cardinals. He has 14 innings of work in three starts and three earned runs allowed. Carson Lance (3-0, 2.45) will pitch for the Cardinals on Sunday, and will match up against Hayden Wesneski (3-0, 3.24).
 
Both teams rank at the top of the league in ERA. Sam Houston is first at 3.05 and Lamar is third with a .3.34 mark. Both are tied for second in the league in opponent's batting average, .244.  
 
Lamar enters the series with its fourth- and fifth-hole hitters leading the pack in hitting, both at .367. Reid Russell tops the team in slugging (.612), runs batted in (14) and home runs (3). Robin Adames has a Cardinal-best five doubles (5) and the longest active reached base streak (21). Bryndan Arredondo is just shy of a .300 batting average at .298.
 
Two freshmen have come on strong in the last six games, especially Cole Coker. Both he and Payton Robertson started on the middle infield against Rice. In his last six games, Coker has a .421 average, six RBI and four runs scored – all of which top or share in a tie for the best on the squad.
 
Sam Houston State – the preseason favorite according to SLC head coaches and sports information directors – are led by their prospect outfielder Bryce Johnson at the plate. He has a .347 average, followed by Andrew Fregia's .321. Johnson has the most RBI on the team at nine, and Fregia has two of the Bearkats' four homers on the season.
 
Both teams have similar batting averages, SHSU at .268 and Lamar at .265, but LU averages 6.4 runs per game and the Kats sit at 5.2. The two offenses play differently, Lamar plays for a big inning while the Kats aim to manufacture runs. Lamar has 35 extra base hits – including 10 home runs – but SHSU has 26 stolen bases and 23 sacrifice bunts.
 
The Cardinals return home for two midweek contests against Prairie Veiw A&M and Texas Southern before heading back out for a three-game set at Southeastern Louisiana, the final of three-straight weekend series away from Vincent-Beck Stadium. LU plays Prairie View at 4 p.m. Tuesday and Texas Southern at 4 p.m. Wednesday.  
 
Conference Openers
• All-time (which spans three different conferences), the Cardinals are 28-22 in league openers. LU and Sam Houston State have faced off three times in league openers, but not in the modern era. Those years go back to 1952-54, but in them the Bearkats were 2-1 over Big Red.
• In conference opening series, LU has accumulated an 85-57 record overall and 69-40 in SLC only series.
• Overall, Lamar has won 27 league opening series all time and dropped 18. It hasn't taken a series since it downed Nicholls in a sweep in 2011.
 
Cutter's Deceiving Line
• Cutter McDowell has been LU's leadoff man in the last seven games, but is doing it Friday with a .234 batting average.
• Though his average is not on par with what it was last season, the senior is getting on base at a .429 clip largely due to his 14 walks and two hit by pitches. He has 11 hits on the year, but 16 free passes.
• It all has led him to a team lead in runs (15), and his on-base percentage is third on the team.
 
Staying patient at the plate
• The Cardinals have been very patient at the plate, and has drastically improved their ability to see the zone and draw walks.
• Through 12 games last season, LU had only drawn 46 walks, 17 less than they have through 12 this season (63).
• Lamar didn't reach 63 walks until the 19th game of the season in 2016.
• 70 base on balls through 13 games is the most for LU since it had 70 through 14 in 2014, and the 5.38 walks a game clip is on pace to be the most since it had 303 in 1989.