BEAUMONT, Texas – For the first time since 2019, bitter rivals – Lamar University and McNeese – will square off on the diamond beginning Friday evening. It's almost impossible to imagine two bitter rivals not playing for the previous three seasons but that is the case for fans of the long awaited renewing of the Battle of the Border.
 
The COVID pandemic shut down the 2020 season just before the start of conference play. In 2021, the Cardinals and Cowboys did not meet due to an adjusted schedule (brought on by COVID and all sports competing during the spring of that year). In the 2021-22 campaign, the Cardinals made the move to the WAC but before that season ended Lamar announced it would be returning to the Southland Conference.
 
The Cardinals have had the upper hand in the series owning a 116-89-2 (.565) all-time mark in a series that dates back to the 1954 season. Despite LU's sizeable advantage in the series, McNeese has won eight of the last 14 meetings. Having said that, home field advantage hasn't always been an advantage for the Cowboys. The Cardinals are 48-33-2 (.590) all-time in Lake Charles.
 
The weekend series is equally important to both teams as Lamar enters the week in a two-way tie for fifth in the standings with McNeese. The Cardinals (26-18/9-9 SLC) head to Lake Charles as the league's hottest team having won-five straight. That streak, which included a series sweep at Southeastern Louisiana, has moved Big Red from eighth in the standings into a fifth-place tie. The Cardinals sit just a half game back of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and just two games back of the overall league leaders (UIW).
 
While the Cardinals have won five straight, McNeese has won three of its last five games but dropped a three-game series to UIW. The Cowboys did manage to salvage the final game of the series.
 
All three game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with both the Friday and Sunday games also being carried live on Newstalk 560 KLVI.
 

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