BEAUMONT, Texas — The regular season comes down to a three-game road series at Houston Christian, beginning Thursday.

LU holds a magic number of two to clinch the No. 2 seed and secure hosting rights for an opening round of Southland Conference tournament play.

A regular-season title also remains within reach if Southeastern Louisiana falls to Nicholls.

The Cardinals also own tiebreakers over third-place Northwestern State and fourth-place UT Rio Grande Valley.
OFFENSIVE LEADER: Beau Durbin leads the Cardinals with 202 at-bats, 14 doubles, 39 runs scored, 36 RBIs and 10 multi-RBI games … Durbin has recorded 18 hits, including seven doubles and 14 RBIs over his last 16 games … He went 3 for 3 with three doubles and two RBIs in Game 3 against Southeastern, becoming the first LU hitter to record three doubles in a game since Kirkland Banks in 2022.

BEST DEFENSIVE SHORTSTOP: A.J. Taylor leads the offense with six home runs and a .455 slugging percentage while he ranks second with 57 hits, 10 doubles, 10 stolen bases and 37 runs scored … Taylor has reached base safely in eight straight games, collecting three doubles, three home runs, a triple and 10 RBIs … Taylor ranks third nationally among shortstops in defensive runs saved, according to 6-4-3 Charts.

KEEPING TABS ON TAB: Tab Tracy continues to lead the Cardinals with a .339 batting average, 62 hits, a .443 on-base percentage and 19 stolen bases … He is tied for the team lead alongside Taylor with 17 multi-hit games.

THIS AND THAT: Theo Kummer has four hits, including two doubles and four RBIs over his last five games … Kevin Duran has homered in his last two games to rank second on the team with five home runs … Braden Benton leads the team with 35 walks … Brayden Evans is on a six-game on-base streak, recording six hits, including a home run with three RBIs … Reese Beheler has also reached base safely in six straight games, drawing seven walks during that span.

OFFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS: Taylor's five-hit game against New Orleans marked the first by a Cardinal since Zak Skinner in 2024 … LU's 20-1 victory in Game 3 at New Orleans was the fourth time since 2024 that the Cardinals have scored 20 or more runs in a game … Earlier this season, Tracy recorded a 20-game on-base streak, marking the 12th time since 2010 that an LU hitter has reached base safely in 20 or more consecutive games.

HOME RUN TRACKER: LU has hit 31 home runs this season, with 23 coming on the road … LU has eight home runs at home for the season … The Cardinals hit four home runs against Sam Houston, marking the fifth time since 2022 the program has hit four or more home runs in a game.

EXTRA INNINGS: The Cardinals have played in nine extra-inning games this season, posting a 6-3 record … Six of the nine contests went 10 innings.

WALK IT OFF: LU has recorded three walk-off wins this season: a single by Durbin in Game 3 against UTRGV, a two-run home run by Evans against Tarleton State and a walk-off wild pitch in Game 3 against Northwestern State.

RUN-RULE: The Cardinals have also recorded two 10-run rule wins, both coming in Game 3 road contests at Nicholls and New Orleans.

ACE OF THE STAFF: Chris Olivier ranks among the top 25 nationally in Division I with 90 strikeouts, checking in at No. 22 … He is 5-4 with a 2.92 ERA over 71 innings, holding opponents to a .185 batting average and recording one complete game ... Olivier leads the Southland Conference in opponent batting average and ranks second in ERA and strikeouts and third in innings pitched … Olivier's complete-game win in Game 1 against Northwestern State marked LU's first complete game since Hunter Hesseltine in 2023 … Olivier's 14 strikeouts against Oakland are tied for the third most in a single game in program history, matching Will Hibbs' total in 2016 … He is 10 strikeouts shy of 100 for the season … Since 2010, only two LU pitchers have reached the 100‑strikeout milestone: Brooks Caple, who finished with 102 in 2024, and Jonathan Dziedzic, who accomplished the feat twice with 114 strikeouts in 2010 and 106 in 2013.

STRIKEOUTS: The LU pitching staff has recorded 430 strikeouts this season, nine shy of tying the program's eighth-highest single-season total, set in 1997.

PITCHING HIGHLIGHTS: Travis Lutz ranks second on the staff with 48 strikeouts … He improved to 3-1 while lowering his ERA to 2.28 over 43.1 innings across 12 appearances, including 27 strikeouts over his last four outings … Ethan Oceguera holds a 4-1 record in 16 appearances while Fabian Ramirez owns a staff‑best 1.20 ERA in 13 appearances, allowing just two earned runs all season … A.J. Kostic has 11 strikeouts over his last three outings while he sports a 3-1 record in 15 appearances … Cooper Carlgren has 22 strikeouts across his last four outings … The LU pitching staff has also recorded two combined one-hitters this season — against UTRGV in Game 2 and Louisiana Tech — marking the program's first multiple combined one-hitters in a single season since 2013.

MIDWEEK CONTESTS: LU finishes the season going 5-8 in midweek contests, highlighted by a 4-1 victory over Big 12 opponent and now No. 7 Kansas.

• Southeastern Louisiana (30-19, 18-9)
• Lamar (26-23, 17-10)
• Northwestern State (25-21, 16-11)
• UTRGV (25-25, 17-13)
• Nicholls (25-23, 15-12)
• Stephen F. Austin (25-24, 13-14)
• McNeese (25-23, 13-14)
• HCU (21-25, 12-15)
• A&M-Corpus Christi (23-25, 11-16)
• New Orleans (21-29, 10-17)
• Incarnate Word (18-27, 8-19)

LU vs. HCU: The Cardinals hold a 42-24 all-time series lead against the Huskies dating back to the first meeting in 1967. Lamar has won 10 of the last 11 matchups, including a three-game sweep in 2025, outscoring HCU 38-14.
CATCHING UP: HCU is battling for a playoff spot, currently sitting in eighth place, one game ahead of A&M-Corpus Christi … The Huskies took two of three from the Islanders on the road last weekend.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Senior infielder Jeremy Rader leads the offense with 56 hits and 36 RBIs … Senior outfielder Jack Walker has a team-high .311 batting average … On the mound, senior David Lopez leads the staff with 63 strikeouts and a 4-3 record across 11 starts … Senior Luis Castano owns a team-best 3.47 ERA in 16 appearances.