BEAUMONT, Texas — Tied in a three‑way race for first place in the Southland Conference, Lamar University returns home for four games this week.

The Cardinals open the homestand Tuesday against Tarleton State before resuming conference play with a three‑game series versus Incarnate Word over the weekend.
NATION'S BEST PITCHER: Chris Olivier improved to 4-0 after tossing six innings with eight strikeouts in Game 2 against A&M-Corpus Christi … He is ninth nationally in Division I with 52 strikeouts, 17th with a 1.17 ERA and tied for 20th with a 0.83 WHIP … Olivier has recorded double‑digit strikeouts in each of his three home starts, fanning 37 batters while allowing just three hits and no runs … In the Southland, Olivier ranks first in opposing batting average (.149) and innings pitched (38.1), tied for second in wins, second in strikeouts (52) and third in ERA.

EARNING RECOGNITION: Olivier has earned Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week honors three times this season (Feb. 16, March 2 and March 16) … He was also named Dick Howser Trophy National Player of the Week (Feb. 17) and recognized nationally by D1Baseball.com, 64 Analytics and Baseball America.

SOLID FRESHMAN: Jarret Williams has allowed just three earned runs over 23.1 innings across five starts, posting a 1.17 ERA with 21 strikeouts.

PITCHING HIGHLIGHTS: Fabian Ramirez has allowed just one earned run over 9.1 innings this season, posting a 0.96 ERA with nine strikeouts across eight appearances … The LU pitching staff has also recorded two combined one‑hitters — against UT Rio Grande Valley and Louisiana Tech — marking the first time since 2013 the Cardinals have thrown multiple combined one‑hitters in a single season.

OFFENSIVE LEADER: Beau Durbin leads the team with a .359 batting average, 37 hits, seven doubles, two triples, 21 RBIs, a .553 slugging percentage, a .422 on‑base percentage and a .975 OPS … He paces the Southland Conference in hits and is tied for second in triples, tied for third in runs (24), third in at‑bats (103) and sixth in batting average … Durbin is riding an eight‑game hitting streak, batting .389 (14 for 36) with two doubles, two home runs and four RBIs during the stretch … He also leads the team with 10 multi‑hit games and six multi‑RBI performances.

KEEPING TABS ON TAB: Tab Tracy leads the team with eight stolen bases and ranks second with a .340 batting average, 33 hits, 19 RBIs and a .414 on‑base percentage. He ranks sixth in the Southland Conference in at‑bats (97), eighth in hits and is tied for eighth in stolen bases … Tracy has reached base safely in 15 straight games and is riding a six‑game hitting streak, batting .393 (11 for 28) with eight RBIs over his last six contests.

GETTING ON BASE: A.J. Taylor ranks third on the team with 29 hits and a .857 OPS while he is third with a .408 on base percentage … Taylor is riding a five-game hitting streak going 8 for 22 (.364) during the stretch with a double and five RBIs … Braden Benton leads the team with 21 walks … Benton ranks third in the Southland in walks.

OFFENSIVE RESURGENCE: Kevin Duran drove in six runs in Game 3 against A&M-Corpus Christi, becoming the second Cardinal this season with five or more RBIs in a game, joining Tracy's five-RBI performance versus McNeese in Game 3 … Duran ranks second on the team with an .880 OPS and a .494 slugging percentage while sitting third with 17 RBIs.

HOME RUN TRACKER: LU has hit 12 home runs this season, with 11 coming on the road … Durbin's three-run homer against Kansas on Feb. 18 is the team's only one at home.

EXTRA INNINGS: The Cardinals have played in four extra‑inning games this season, posting a 3-1 record … All four contests went 10 innings.

HOME SWEET HOME: LU has gone 59-10 at home since 2024.

MIDWEEK SUCCESS: The Cardinals have six midweek contests remaining … LU has gone 90-76 in midweek games since 2010, including a 15-7 mark since 2025.  

• Northwestern State (15-9, 8-4)
• UTRGV (13-11, 8-4)
• Lamar (14-10, 8-4)
• Stephen F. Austin (13-12, 5-4)
• Southeastern Louisiana (13-11, 5-4)
• McNeese (12-11, 6-6)
• Nicholls (12-9, 5-6)
• Houston Christian (11-12, 4-5)
• Incarnate Word (13-11, 5-7)
• New Orleans (10-15, 4-8)
• A&M-Corpus Christi (11-12, 1-7)

LU vs. TARLETON STATE: The Cardinals are 6–2 all‑time against Tarleton State since the program's first met in 2021 … LU will host the Texans for the first time since May 2022 after winning last season's matchup in a high‑scoring 22-16 contest.