BEAUMONT, Texas — The race to host the first round of the Southland Conference is heating up, with only five conference series remaining.

Lamar University is tied for second place with Southeastern Louisiana, trailing first-place Northwestern State.

The Cardinals are set to play four consecutive games, opening with a three-game series at Nicholls before returning home for an early midweek matchup against BYU.
OFFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS: Beau Durbin leads the Cardinals with 23 RBIs, 28 runs scored, four home runs, eight doubles, 138 at-bats, six multi-RBI games and a .457 slugging percentage … He also ranks second on the team with 39 hits and two triples … A.J. Taylor is third on the team with 36 hits … Kevin Duran ranks second with a .291 batting average and a .427 slugging percentage while Braden Benton leads with 28 walks and sits second with a .416 on-base percentage … Duran's six-RBI performance against A&M-Corpus Christi in Game 3 marked the second time this season a Cardinal hitter drove in five or more runs in a game, joining Tab Tracy's five-RBI effort against McNeese in Game 3.

KEEPING TABS ON TAB: Tracy leads the Cardinals with a .336 average, a .444 on-base percentage, 42 hits and 14 stolen bases … He is also tied for the team lead with 11 multi-hit games alongside Taylor … Tracy recorded a four-hit performance against Stephen F. Austin on March 6, marking just the second such effort by a Cardinal this season … His 20-game on-base streak was the 12th by a Lamar hitter since 2010 to reach 20 or more games.

ACE OF THE STAFF: Chris Olivier is 4-1 with a 1.71 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 47.1 innings this season … Olivier's ERA currently ranks as the sixth lowest in a single season in program history … He has posted double-digit strikeouts in three of five home starts, compiling 47 strikeouts and allowing just four earned runs at home … Olivier ranks in the top 25 nationally in strikeouts (tied for 21st) and ERA (21st) … He is a three-time Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week and was named Dick Howser Trophy National Player of the Week, with additional recognition from D1Baseball.com, 64 Analytics and Baseball America.

SOLID FRESHMAN: Jarret Williams has posted a 2.01 ERA in seven starts and eight appearances with 29 strikeouts in 31.1 innings pitched … He did not allow an earned run in his first five collegiate outings … Williams was named a first team midseason freshman All-American by Perfect Game.

PITCHING HIGHLIGHTS: Fabian Ramirez has only allowed two earned runs in 12 appearances while sporting a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings pitched with 11 strikeouts … Travis Lutz ranks third on the team with 21 strikeouts in 18 innings pitched with a 2.00 ERA … Ethan Oceguera has only allowed one earned run in his last six appearances … Oceguera sports a 3-1 record in 14.1 innings with a 2.51 ERA … The Cardinals pitching staff has also recorded two combined one-hitters this season — against UT Rio Grande Valley in Game 2 and Louisiana Tech — marking the program's first multiple combined one-hitters in a single season since 2013.

VERSATILITY: Lane Sparks made his pitching debut in Game 2 against Oregon State, tossing one shutout inning while allowing one hit and striking out one … Offensively, Sparks is riding a six-game hitting streak, going 7 for 17 (.412) with a triple, home run and six RBIs.

HOME RUN TRACKER: LU has hit 16 home runs this season, with 11 coming on the road … Durbin's three-run homer against Kansas on Feb. 18 was the team's first at home … Brayden Evans added the second at home with a two-run walk-off homer against Tarleton State on March 24 … Durbin and Sparks each homered during Game 3 against UIW, giving LU four home runs at home for the season.

EXTRA INNINGS: The Cardinals have played in six extra‑inning games this season, posting a 4-2 record … All six contests went 10 innings.

WALK IT OFF: Since 2025, LU has recorded nine true walk-off wins, including four walk-off victories secured via the 10-run rule … The walk-off win over Tarleton State marked the team's second in March, following Durbin's RBI single that lifted the Cardinals to a 2-1 victory over UTRGV. LU vs. Nicholls: The Cardinals are 67-52-2 all-time against the Colonels dating back to the first meeting in 1970 … LU swept Nicholls in 2025, winning the first two games by walk-off … The Cardinals have not claimed a series win in Thibodaux since 2012, with their last sweep there coming in 2006.

• Northwestern State (21-11, 13-5)
• Southeastern Louisiana (20-13, 10-5)
• Lamar (18-15, 10-5)
• SFA (18-15, 9-6)
• UTRGV (14-18, 9-9)
• Nicholls (16-17, 8-9)
• McNeese (17-16, 7-8)
• Houston Christian (14-18, 6-9)
• Incarnate Word (16-17, 7-11)
• New Orleans (14-20, 6-12)
• A&M-Corpus Christi (14-17, 4-10)

CATCHING UP: Nicholls enters the weekend 16-17 overall and 8-9 in Southland play … The Colonels took two of three games from HCU on the road last weekend, rebounding from a 3-0 shutout loss in the series opener to win the final two games by a combined score of 22-7 … Nicholls is 5-5 over its last 10 games, winning a road series against UIW by taking two of three games.

RECAPPING 2025: The Colonels finished the season 17-32 overall and 10-20 in conference play … Nicholls last qualified for the Southland Conference tournament in 2024, when it won the tournament to earn a berth in the NCAA Regionals.

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH: Junior infielder Caston Thompson leads the team with a .336 batting average, 41 hits, 10 home runs and 28 RBIs … Thompson is coming off a strong stretch, going 4 for 8 (.500) over his last two games with a double, two home runs and five RBIs … Junior infielder Keegan Giger ranks second on the team with 35 hits and 27 RBIs.

PITCHING HIGHLIGHTS: Redshirt senior righthander Haden Luke owns a 5-1 record in eight starts and leads the team with 47 strikeouts … Luke recorded 14 strikeouts in Game 3 against Northwestern State … Senior righthander Nuno Parache leads the pitching staff with 37.1 innings pitched and ranks second on the team with 34 strikeouts in seven appearances.
LU vs. BYU: This is just fifth meeting between both programs since 1979 … The Cardinals last hosted the Cougars in 2019 for a three-game series … BYU holds a 3-2 advantage over the Cardinals.

MANIC MONDAY: Since 2000, the Cardinals are 11-4 in Monday games, including a 5-2 mark at home … LU last hosted a Monday contest in 2025, earning a 15-2 run-rule victory over Oakland University.