BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University baseball has just three days to check off the calendar before Opening Day 2020 against the University of Rhode Island, and with that time remaining LamarCardinals.com will continue its breakdown of the baseball team position-by-position. Today's focus is on the outfield, where LU returns almost 400 NCAA Division I starts.
 
RETURNING PROJECTED STARTERS
 
Reese Durand – So.-1L – Jasper, Texas – Jasper HS
A Texas Collegiate League mid-season All Star, Reese Durand started 34 times in 2019 with appearances in left and center field and at designated hitter. He spent most of his time in left, where he's expected to remain for the 2020 season. He was a .272 hitter with 34 hits (one double, four triples, and one home run). His four triples were more than the entire 2018 LU squad had, and he drove in 11 RBIs while scoring 13 runs. He opened his Cardinal career with a six-game hit streak and reached base nine games in a row, and he had a career best 3-for-4 day against Abilene Christian on April 20.
 
"Reese had a solid freshman year and continues to improve," said head coach Will Davis. "He can play all three outfield positions and has really developed his game offensively to help utilize his speed. Reese also has some pop and should be able rack up some extra base hits as well."
 
Cole Girouard – Sr.-3L – Groves, Texas – Port Neches-Groves HS
One of only two Cardinals that have played for Lamar through the first four seasons of the Will Davis era, Cole Girouard was a 2019 Honorable Mention All-Southland Conference outfielder after appearing in 48 games with 41 starts. He ranked fourth on the team in batting average with 47 hits, including four doubles, three triples, and two home runs. He was six-of-eight in stolen base attempts and drew 18 walks. In conference play he was eighth in the SLC in batting average at a .364 clip, and he had just one error in 2019. He needs just 14 hits in 2020 to reach 100 for his career.
 
"Cole Girouard has been one of the most improved players I have ever seen from his freshman year until now," said Davis. "He has developed into an offensive weapon at the top of the order and is a lockdown defender in centerfield."
 
Avery George – Jr.-2L – Humble, Texas – Humble HS
Another Honorable Mention All-SLC Outfielder last season, Avery George was one of just two Cardinals to start all 54 games in 2019. He hit .323 on the year with 72 hits, and scored 44 runs while driving in 17 RBIs. George paced the Cards in stolen bases, and tied the Lamar University record for most games in a row on-base with 32 (trailing back to the final 11 games of 2018 and the first 21 games of 2019). He also had a 20-game hit streak, and had a career-best 5-for-5 day (all singles) against Southeastern Louisiana on May 3.
 
"Avery has put together two very solid years," said Davis. "He is an on base machine with great speed and great strike zone knowledge. Defensively Avery can play all three positions and can really run balls down."
 
Other Returnees
 
Cole Coker – Sr.-3L – Huffman, Texas – Huffman-Hargrave HS
Cole Coker joins Cole Girouard as the other Cardinal that has been at Lamar since the Will Davis era began. He's a two-time All-SLC utility player and returns the most starting experience for LU. He's appeared at second base, third base, in the outfield, and as a designated hitter, where he'll spend a significant chunk of 2020. Coker is a career .274 hitter who has improved his batting average each season, and he should eclipse 200 career hits if he keeps up his average. The senior from Huffman, Texas, has 28 extra-base hits in his career including 20 doubles, three triples, and five homers, and he's driven in 68 RBIs while scoring 75 runs. He's also a threat on the base paths with 13 career stolen bases. Coker is also an actor, having appeared in "Suddenly" and "The Catch".
 
"Cole is a three-year starter who has gotten some really clutch hits for us over the years. He factors into a lot of playing time at DH, but we can also put him in Left Field or First Base if needed," said Davis.
 
Cole Secrest – Jr.-2L – The Woodlands, Texas – The Woodlands HS
Cole Secrest is a two-year starter in the outfield who has a power bat. He opened his Cardinal career with a .636 weekend against Missouri State and Texas Southern, collecting seven hits – including two home runs – with eight RBIs. He also had a 5-for-5 performance at A&M-Corpus Christi on April 14, 2018, part of an 11-of-15 weekend against the Islanders with six RBIs and three runs scored. He has 53 career hits including seven doubles and four home runs, and he has just three errors in his career.
 
"Cole is one of the hardest workers I've ever coached. He had a great summer and fall, and can be a real force in the lineup when he is hot. He has worked hard to cut down on his swing-and-miss rate and improve his strike zone knowledge," said Davis.
 
New to the Team
 
Matthew McDonald – R-Jr.-RS – Phoenix, Ariz. – Glendale CC (Greenway HS)
 
Matthew McDonald transferred to Lamar from Glendale Community College before the 2019 season, but received a redshirt last season. He was a career .325 hitter at Glendale with 84 hits, including 13 doubles, three triples, and four home runs. He stole 11 bases and had 40 career RBIs with 43 career runs scored.
 
"Matt is a solid hitter off the bench, who has turned into a solid corner outfielder for us," said Davis.
 
Drew Ardoin – Jr.-TR – Moss Bluff, La. – Blinn JC (Sam Houston HS)
 
Drew Ardoin comes to Lamar from Blinn JC where he collected 35 hits with 12 RBIs, 24 runs scored, and 30 career walks. He also stole seven bases at Blinn. In high school he was a four-year letterwinner in both baseball and football.
 
"Drew is a scrappy player who after a few injury-plagued years is ready to contribute for us. He has good speed, is sure-handed, and can play all three outfield positions for us," said Davis.
 
Up Next – Pitchers
The final position preview of Lamar's pitchers will come out on Thursday.