BEAUMONT, Texas – For just the third time this season, Lamar University will step on the field for a Wednesday midweek game. The Cardinals will host Texas Southern for the second time this season when they two teams square off from Vincent-Beck Stadium Wednesday beginning at 6 p.m.
 
The Southland Conference leaders, Lamar (30-8) enter the week with a 1.0 game lead in the conference standings over New Orleans and UIW. Not that Wednesday's game is a conference contest, but LU is facing a Tigers' squad in a similar scenario within their own conference.
 
The Tigers (18-18) currently lead the SWAC West division standings by 1.5 games and sit just a half game back of Florida A&M for the overall lead. Similar to the Southland standings, the SWAC has a logjam of teams battling it out at the top.
 
LU and Texas Southern have already squared off once this season, back on Mar. 12^th, when Lamar took a 9-3 decision at home. That victory was part of a 13-game win streak that would eventually go on to be the nation's longest.
 
The Cardinals enter the midweek contest winners in 24 of their last 28 but are coming off their toughest weekend of the season dropping two of three to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Let that sink in for a moment … we're in the final month of April and Big Red just now dropped its first series of the season. For those counting, that means Lamar would have a 7-1 series record including one series win over a nationally ranked squad.
 
With just four weeks remaining in the 2024 regular season, the Cardinals have not dropped consecutive games and need just 10 more wins to reach 40 on the season.
 
TSU has won 10 straight and will be looking to move over the .500 mark on the season with a win. The Tigers have not lost since an April 2^nd setback at Tulane.
 
Lamar leads the all-time series against TSU posting a 28-4 (.875) record. Big Red has won three straight in the series and five of the last six. The last Texas Southern victory in the series came during the 2018 season.
 
Wednesday's contest is set for a 6 p.m. first pitch from Vincent-Beck Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.