BEAUMONT, Texas – It has been a great season for the Lamar University baseball team as Big Red has surged to the top of the Southland Conference standings. Big Red is 36-10 (.783) on the season and currently sits atop the league standings with a 14-4 (.778) record – a full two games up on the second-place squad (with only six games remaining).
 
The season has seen numerous highlights including a nation's best 13-game win streak, a top-25 national ranking (in multiple publications) and a sweep of No. 25 Oklahoma in Norman.
 
A great deal of Lamar's success has been due to its strong pitching staff. Consistently ranked at the top of the Southland Conference, the Cardinals' staff has moved among the nation's elite in 2024. Through 46 games (of a 54-game regular-season schedule), the Cardinals' staff leads the nation with a 3.23 earned run average, second nationally in WHIP (1.15), third nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (7.09), 12^th in walks allowed per nine innings (3.30) and tied for 15^th nationally in shutouts (4).
 
Adding to those numbers, the NCAA doesn't list a ranking for opponent batting average, but the Cardinals are holding opponents to a .215 clip this season.
 
For a program that has a history of producing strong pitching talent, these numbers are impressive, and they don't include the fact that LU also leads the Southland Conference in saves (16).
 
Lamar's three weekend rotation starters have all received SLC Pitcher of the Week honors at least once this season, and all three were recently named to DIBaseball's Top 100 Pitchers for Week 12. The trio may very well be each other's competition for the league pitcher of the year award. Brooks Caple is 6-3 on the year with a 2.09 ERA with 81 strikeouts through 77.1 innings pitched and his holding opponents to a .173 clip. The Cardinals' normal Saturday starter – Jacob Ellis – is 7-1 with a 2.94 ERA and 59 strikeouts through 70.1 innings pitched. He is holding opponents to a .181 batting average.
 
If you're thinking the Cardinals Sunday starter is a weak link then you would be wrong. Hunter Hesseltine is 6-1 with a 2.67 ERA with 42 Ks through 60.2.
 
The starters alone would make for a formidable staff but LU also has two relievers named to NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List – Austin Neal (2-1, 3.71 ERA, 6 Saves) and Andres Perez (2-0, 0.84 ERA, 6 Saves).
 
It has been a memorable season for the Red and White across the board, but there is still work to be done. The Cardinals magic number to clinch a Southland Conference regular-season title – its first since 2004 – is down to five (a combination of five LU wins or five Nicholls' losses). Oddly enough, Nicholls is next up on the conference slate. In addition to that, Lamar still has a shot at a 40-win season which would also be its first since 2004.
 
The Cardinals are back in action Wednesday when they travel to Houston to take on Rice. The game against the Owls is slated for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch from Reckling Park.