BEAUMONT, Texas – After a season filled with school records and late victories, Lamar University softball begins postseason play with the Southland Conference Tournament at North Oak Park in Hammond, La. They start out against Incarnate Word on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. with all conference tournament games being streamed on ESPN+.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Lamar's season finale against Tarleton State was cancelled giving the team a ten-day rest period in between their final Southland contest and the start of the conference tournament.
 
KEY STORYLINES
For the third consecutive season, LU improved their win total and will finish with their highest mark under head coach Amy Hooks. The team is also on track for its best team batting average (.254) under Hooks while posting their lowest team ERA (3.08) and highest fielding percentage (.956) since the program was resurrected in 2013.
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Shenita Tucker was rewarded for her stellar debut season with the Cardinals by being named the SLC Newcomer of the Year. She leads the team in batting average (.318), runs scored (37) and walks (21) while also setting the Lamar single season stolen bases record with 27.
 
Last year, Cameron Niedenthal came up big in the postseason for the Cardinals earning a nod for the SLC All-Tournament Team. Now, in their final games for Big Red, her and Brooke Davis will hope to replicate their Senior Day performances against UIW to start LU off on the right track.
 
The pitching duo of Emma Wardlaw (9-7, 2.08 ERA) and Karyana Mitchell (13-7, 2.43 ERA) will likely be called upon again to anchor the mound in the conference tournament for Big Red. Currently, they sit with the lowest and third lowest individual ERAs since the program was resurrected in 2013.
 
TOURNAMENT OUTLOOK
If Lamar wins their Cardinal showdown on Tuesday, they advance to play top-seeded McNeese on Wednesday at 11 a.m. If Big Red falls on Tuesday, they will face the loser of Nicholls vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi/Houston Christian on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Stay tuned to lamarcardinals.com and on social media for schedule updates.
 
The seeding for the conference tournament is as follows:
 
No. 1 – McNeese
No. 2 – Southeastern Louisiana
No. 3 – Nicholls
No. 4 – Incarnate Word
No. 5 – Lamar
No. 6 – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
No. 7 – Houston Christian
 
For more information on the conference tournament bracket, click here.