BEAUMONT, Texas – It's a one versus two battle in Thibodaux, La., when league-leading Lamar University (37-10/14-4 SLC) travels to Nicholls Friday to take on the second-place Colonels (30-18/12-6 SLC). The Cardinals take a 2.0-game lead into the three-game series and could potentially lock up a conference title this weekend. The series gets started a 6:30 p.m. Friday at Ray E. Didier Field.
 
A lot is on the line in this series. Big Red could potentially lock up a conference regular-season title with a series sweep, and Nicholls can take over the top spot in the standings if they were to sweep the series (with one week remaining). The good news for LU is that they go into the showdown with a large enough cushion that even if Nicholls wins the series, but the Cardinals walk away with one win, Lamar would still hold the overall lead in the standings.
 
The Cardinals are going in search of history when they step on the diamond. No other league school has won as many conference crowns (in baseball) as Lamar. The Cardinals are going in search of their 11^th all-time regular season Southland title, but its first since 2004.
 
Nicholls would like for nothing better than to ruin those plans and defend their conference crown from last year. The Colonels are coming off a key series win last week at UIW that saw Nicholls battle back from a 6-0 deficit in game three to save the series and stay within two games of Lamar. The Colonels have had to play a bit of catch up since the start of conference play after opening the season being swept by New Orleans. Since the conference opener, the Colonels have gone 12-3 to put themselves back int the thick of the race.
 
The Cardinals lead the all-time series between the two programs, 63-50-2 (.557), but Thibodaux has always been a tough place for Lamar to play. The Cardinals are just two games over .500 at Nicholls, 23-21-1 (.522). Nicholls has had the upper hand in the series lately winning 11 of the last 14 meetings. Friday's series opener will mark the start of the first three-game series in Thibodaux since the 2018 season.
 
All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+. Friday and Saturday are slated for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch with the series finale getting underway Sunday at 1 p.m.