BEAUMONT, Texas – The largest crowds of the season at the LU Softball Complex are expected this weekend as the Lamar University Cardinals host their archrivals, the McNeese Cowgirls in a three-game Southland Conference series that has huge implications as far as next month's SLC Tournament is concerned. The Cardinals and Cowgirls are scheduled to play a doubleheader at 5 p.m. Friday and a single game at 3 p.m. Saturday.
 
All three games of the series will be streamed on Facebook Live.
 
LU (24-21 overall, 9-9 Southland) is tied with Sam Houston State for the eighth, and final, tournament berth with nine conference games remaining. The Cardinals and Bearkats are just one game behind seventh-place Abilene Christian in the standings. Meanwhile, McNeese (30-16, 12-6), the defending regular-season and tournament champion, is in a four-way tie for first place with Nicholls, Southeastern Louisiana and Stephen F. Austin.
 
"This is definitely a big series," LU coach Holly Bruder said. "We had a pretty intense practice on Wednesday, and we talked about what we need to do to get into the tournament."
 
The Cardinals will turn to senior right-hander Laura Napoli (12-11, 3.01) and freshman righty Taylor Gruell (7-6, 3.85) to keep a McNeese offense that is batting .289 as a team overall with a conference-leading 43 home runs, and .319 in conference play. The LU pitchers have been effective at home, with Napoli posting an 8-3 mark with a 2.34 ERA and two saves, while Gruell is 3-3 with a 2.75 ERA and one save.
 
Napoli has 268 career strikeouts, one shy of the school record of 269 held by Ciara Luna.
 
"We need to do a great job in the circle this weekend," Bruder said. "We need to keep the ball down and keep them off base. We're going to need our defense to come up with some big plays."
 
Junior outfielder Justyce McClain leads McNeese with a conference-best .432 batting average. Senior catcher/infielder Erika Piancastelli is batting .346 overall while leading the conference with 15 home runs and being tied for the SLC lead with 45 RBIs. Piancastelli is hitting a conference-leading .426 in SLC games.
 
"We have to use our home-field advantage this weekend," Bruder said. "We know that our field isn't a home-run hitters park, and we need to use that in our favor. We have a game plan in place for the weekend. We just have to implement it."
 
Bruder was referring to the fact that in the 83 games the Cardinals have played at the LU Softball Complex since it opened in 2015, opponents have hit just 17 home runs, about one home run every five games. The Cardinals have hit just 14 home runs in that span. The average of 0.37 homers per game makes the LU Softball Complex one of the toughest stadiums in the nation as far as home runs are concerned.
 
LU enters the series batting .272 overall and .271 in conference play while sporting a .282 batting average at home. Junior shortstop Savana Guidry especially loves hitting at the LU Softball Complex, batting .435 at home. Overall, Guidry is batting .340 this season.
 
Freshman left fielder Kendall Talley is batting .336 for the Cardinals, while junior second baseman Kelly Meeuwsen is batting .333 overall and .400 in conference play. Meeuwsen leads the team with seven home runs, while sophomore first baseman Shelby Henderson has six homers and a team-best 29 RBIs, two ahead of Meeuwsen. Meeuwsen enters the weekend with 99 career RBIs as she looks to become just the second player in program history to drive in 100 runs in a career. Ashley McDowell holds the LU record with 107 RBIs.
 
The Cardinals face a McNeese pitching staff that has a 3.57 overall ERA, including a 3.36 ERA in conference play. Sophomore right-hander Alexsandra Flores (14-7, 2.66) will likely get two starts this weekend. Flores is 7-3 with a 2.05 ERA in SLC games. The other start will likely go to one of two freshman right-handers, Ashley Koncir (4-1, 4.33) or Caroline Settle (7-6, 4.32).
 
"We want to control the pace of the game," Bruder said. "We want to get an early lead and put some pressure on them."
 
PROMOTIONS: Friday is Faculty Staff & Appreciation Night, with each of the players honoring a Lamar University faculty or staff member who has been a positive influence. All faculty and staff members attending the game will receive a free autographed LU softball poster. In additions, fans will receive a free slice of pizza while supplies last. Saturday is Hometown Heroes Day, with all first responders and active or former military personnel receiving free admission when they wear their uniform or present a valid ID at the ticket window. Jefferson County Sheriff Zena Stephens will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES: McNeese has a 23-7 lead in the all-time series dating back to 1984. Since LU revived the softball program in 2013, the Cardinals are 2-15 vs. the Cowgirls. LU is 1-2 vs. McNeese at the LU Softball Complex. The McNeese at LU doubleheader on April 29, 2016, drew 588 fans, the largest crowd in the history of the LU Softball Complex, as LU and McNeese split the twin bill.
 
WEATHER FORECAST: Friday's doubleheader will start under a cloudy sky with a temperature near 70 degrees. The wind will be out of the east at 7 mph. By the time the twin bill ends, the temperature will hover around the 65-degree mark. There is an 80 percent chance of rain later in the day on Saturday, which could affect the final game of the series. If needed, the third game could be played on Sunday, when there will be sunny conditions in the afternoon.
 
ON DECK: LU is at Louisiana-Monroe for a non-conference doubleheader at 4 p.m. Wednesday before returning home to host Incarnate Word in a three-game SLC series next weekend. The Cardinals wrap up the regular season with a three-game conference series at Nicholls set for May 4-5.


TICKETS: For tickets to all LU home games, please call 409-880-1715, or CLICK HERE. The Montagne Center ticket office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. The ticket window at the LU Softball Complex will open one hour prior to first pitch on game days. LU students receive free admission to home games with their Cardinal One card, while Junior Cardinal Club members are admitted for free when they present their membership badge.