BEAUMONT, Texas - Closing out a five-game stand within the friendly confines of Vincent-Beck Stadium, Lamar University (9-18, 2-10 SLC) will play host to two of Houston's NCAA Division I schools, the University of Houston (14-13, 2-4 American) and Houston Baptist University (8-19, 2-7 SLC), this week in non-conference action. The Cardinals will play the Cougars on Tuesday and the Huskies on Wednesday.

Tuesday
-Free t-shirts from Neches Federal Credit Union (while supplies last)
-Fresh baked goods from Lamar's Zeta Tau Alpha sorority will be on sale at the front gate
-Ceremonial first pitch from two cancer survivors
-Jr. Cardinals get in FREE with membership badge
-$1 Hotdogs + $2 Popcorn tubs all season long

THE LAST TIME OUT - NICHOLLS (MARCH 29-31)

Despite out-hitting the Colonels 36-22 across three games, a combined four runs proved the difference between Big Red and Nicholls State University (16-13, 8-4 SLC) last weekend. The Colonels had luck strick thrice to win 4-2, 5-4, and 6-5 over Lamar despite the Cardinals leading or tied heading into the eighth inning of each game. Nicholls scored 10 of its 15 runs across the series in just the eighth inning of each game.

UP NEXT - UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON (APRIL 2) AND HOUSTON BAPTIST UNIVERSITY (APRIL 3)

Starters:
Tuesday: LHP Dylan Johnson (0-2, 5.40 ERA) vs. LHP Clay Aguilar (2-2, 3.38 ERA)
Wednesday: TBA vs. TBA

University of Houston Series Record
All-Time Series: Houston leads 52-30
At Vincent-Beck Stadium: Houston leads 19-15
At Schroeder Park: Houston leads 33-14
At Neutral Site: Lamar leads 1-0
Will Davis vs. Houston: 0-1
Whitting vs. Lamar: 4-4
Last Meeting: March 20, 2018 (Houston wins 3-1)

Whitting, a Houston alum, has his Cougars at 14-13 this year and 2-4 in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). Whitting has accrued over 300 wins at his former school and 100+ wins in conference action between the AAC and the Mountain West. This season Houston has a series win over Northwestern State, two losses to SLC rival McNeese, a series win over #24 Arizona, close losses against #16 TCU and #23 Texas A&M, a series sweep of Army, a win over UTSA, a series win at Dallas Baptist, and mid-week wins over SLC schools Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin. In AAC play the Cougs went 1-2 against UConn and at Memphis.

The Cougars average 4.4 runs a game (eighth in the AAC) with a 3.89 ERA (second in the AAC). Houston has a .229 batting average (eighth in the AAC) and has 201 hits this season (eighth in the AAC) including 34 doubles, five triples,
and 24 home runs. Their pitching staff is averaging 1.83 strikeouts to every walk and 7.8 strikeouts a game, both near the middle of the pack in The American.

Joe Davis ranks second the AAC and ninth in the NCAA in home runs this season with 11, averaging a homer about every two games. He leads his team in RBIS (37, first in the AAC) and slugging percentage (.733, third in the AAC) as well and has 74 total bases this season (third in the AAC). Jared Triolo is sixth in the AAC and is the toughest on his team to strikeout with just one strikeout every 9.2 at-bats.

Tuesday's starter is LHP Clay Aguilar, whom Cardinal fans will remember was scheduled to start against the Cardinals in the previously scheduled game on February 26. The southpaw holds a 3.38 ERA through 21.1 innings of work and has a 2-2 record through seven appearances including four starts. Ace reliever Fred Villarreal (1.47 ERA, first in the AAC) could make an appearance at Lamar. He leads the AAC and ranks 23rd in the nation in total appearances this year with 15 and already has five saves. He's averaged just 6.16 hits allowed per nine innings.

Houston Baptist University Series Record
All-Time Series: Lamar leads 28-20 (HBU leads 8-7 in SLC play)
At Vincent-Beck Stadium: Lamar leads 18-13
At Husky Field: Lamar leads 9-6
At Neutral Site: HBU leads 1-0
Will Davis vs. HBU: 3-4
Moon vs. Lamar: 13-11
Last Meeting: March 5, 2019 (Lamar wins 6-3 in 13 innings)

In what was Lamar's longest game this season until this last weekend, HBU and LU played for over four hours on March 5 to determine a winner. The Cards and Huskies were tied 3-3 in the fifth and stayed that way until the top of the 13th when Lamar scored three runs.

Jared Moon has been at HBU almost since he graduated from the university in 1994 and oversaw their transition from Division II to Division I. He's accrued almost 400 wins at his alma mater, though HBU has struggled a bit this season with an 8-17 record and a 2-7 mark in SLC play. The Huskies were winless in the Southland until last weekend when they took two of three from Northwestern State.

HBU averages 4.7 runs a game with a 4.96 ERA and has scored 128 runs this season. The Huskies have 216 hits this year (12th in the SLC) including 48 doubles, 10 triples, and 11 home runs. Their staff averages 8.0 strikeouts per nine innings and 1.77 strikeouts for every walk.

Johnny Gonzales leads his team with a .288 batting average and is second in hits with 30. Trent Franson (.270 batting average) has 31 hits this year. Jeremy Simon is the lone Husky hitting over .300 at this point of the 2019 season with a .421 average but has just 19 at-bats. Starters for Wednesday's game have not yet been announced.

Lamar Quick Hits

• Cole Girouard loves hitting against teams from the state of Louisiana. He has a career .359 batting average against Louisiana teams with 37 hits including six doubles, a triple, and a home run. One of his best games came at Southern in 2018 when he went 5-for-7 with four runs scored and three RBIs. Against Nicholls in 2018 he hit .385 with three RBIs, a walk, and two strikeouts.
   
• Robin Adames needs just 31 more hits to capture the LU career record. He has 226 entering Tuesday's game. He also needs just 49 RBIs for the career RBI record and 15 more homers for the career home run record.
   
• JC Correa has wowed at short and at the plate. The junior transfer from Alvin Community College has a .277 batting average, second on the team, and lead the team in RBIs. He's homered three times and is the toughest on the team to strike out with just one strikeout every 10.2 at-bats. That ranks sixth in the Southland Conference and 86th in the NCAA.
   
• Avery George is fifth in the Soutland Conference and 121 in the NCAA this year with 37 hits so far. He was riding a 20-game hit streak from Feb. 16 through March 22 and tied the school record for the reached-base streak at 32 games.
   
• The Cardinals still have plenty of time to figure out the 2019 season. Eight losses this year have been by two or fewer runs and Lamar is averaging just 1.8 runs per game fewer than its opponents. In its last 10 games Big Red has out-hit its opponents 106 to 81 (almost three more runs a game) but struggled to turn that into offense with just 42 runs to opponents' 55 runs in that time, a disparity of 1.3 runs a game.