BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University (20-13) steps away from Western Athletic Conference play for three tough games – two in Norman, Okla., and one in Waco, Texas. The Cardinals will face Pacific and Oklahoma in a Friday doubleheader before traveling to Waco three days later to face Baylor.
 
The Cardinals current four-game swing was originally slated to be a five-game stretch which was to include a Tuesday game at nationally ranked LSU, but weather forced the cancelation of that game.
 
The Cardinals first opponent – Pacific – enters the weekend with an 11-20 (.355) overall record and has dropped two straight and three of the last four. The Tigers are coming off a heartbreaking three-run 11-inning loss last time out against UC Davis. Pacific will play OU Thursday evening before facing the Cardinals.
 
The Tigers are hitting .270 on the season with 28 home runs and 68 doubles, to go along with a .354 on-base percentage. As a team, the Tigers have a 6.88 ERA, to go along with a 1.70 WHIP. The Cardinals are expected to see Hunter Hayes take the mound for UOP. A junior right-handed pitcher from Citrus Heights, Calif., Hayes boasts of a 2-5 record on the season with a 5.63 ERA (1.73 WHIP).
 
The Cardinals are expected to counter with Daniel Cole (Jr., RHP) who is making his first start of the season. Cole has posted a 2-0 record in 14 appearances this season with a 3.68 ERA (1.16). As a team, the Cardinals staff has posted a 4.85 ERA with a 1.48 WHIP. Big Red's offense is hitting .283 on the year, with 22 home runs and 63 doubles. The Cardinals have posted a .376 on-base percentage through the first 33 games of the season.
 
In the second half of the doubleheader, LU is slated to pitch Braxton Douthit, who is 4-1 (.800) in eight starts this season. Douthit has posted a 2.44 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP during his junior campaign while holding opponents to a .230 batting average.
 
The Sooners enter the weekend contests with a 19-12 (.613) overall record and coming off a five-run victory at Texas Tech where they pounded out 14 runs. The Sooners have won four of the last six games with victories against Tech, Oklahoma State and Texas. On the season, OU is hitting .288 with 24 home runs and 55 doubles. As a staff, the Sooners have posted a 5.52 ERA this season in 277.1 innings pitched with a 1.46 WHIP. Opponents are batting .266 against Oklahoma in 2022.
 
OU is expected to pitch Jake Bennett in Friday' evening's game. A southpaw from Bixby, Okla., Bennett is 2-1 with a 3.19 ERA (1.02 WHIP).
 
Baylor enters the weekend .500 (16-16) on the season and looking to put an end to a five-game skid as they open a three-game series against Kansas Thursday evening in Waco.
 
The Cardinals are 8-6 (.571) all-time against the Sooners, in a series that dates back to 1975 but will be the first meeting between the two schools since the 2006 season. Monday's meeting against Baylor will be the 80^th all-time meeting between the two in-state rivals with Baylor holding a 47-31-1 all-time record. The Cardinals are looking for their first victory in Waco since an 11-1 decision in 2017. Friday's contest against UOP will be the first time to two schools have met on the diamond.
 
Friday's game against the Tigers will begin a 2 p.m. from L. Dale Mitchell Park. The Cardinals will complete the Friday doubleheader with first pitch against the Sooners coming at 6:30 p.m. Monday's contest at Baylor is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch from Baylor Ballpark.