SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE SHOWDOWN SET FOR BEAUMONT

BEAUMONT, Texas (Interstat) — The Lamar Cardinals, riding a shutout victory earlier in the week, will host the McNeese State Cowboys on Friday to open a three-game Southland Conference series at Vincent-Beck Stadium.

First pitch is scheduled for a clear evening with temperatures near 67 degrees.

Lamar (10-7) enters with a winning record and momentum from a 6-0 road win at Louisiana Tech on Tuesday. The Cardinals’ bullpen was dominant in that victory, with Cooper Carlgren, Fabian Ramirez and Hayden Stallings combining for five scoreless innings of relief.

Carlgren, a player to watch for the Cardinals, has been effective lately, posting 6.2 scoreless innings over his last three appearances, allowing just two hits.

McNeese State (7-8) looks to rebound from a 12-4 loss to Houston Christian last Saturday. In that defeat, reliever Connor Achee provided a bright spot with 1.1 scoreless innings. Achee, a key arm for the Cowboys, has a 2.08 ERA over his last four outings, spanning 6.2 innings with eight strikeouts.

The Cowboys’ recent results have been inconsistent, splitting a four-game series with Houston Christian after a midweek win at Southern on March 3.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-4 victory for Lamar, giving the Cardinals a 57% probability to win based on its ELO rating system.

This series begins a crucial stretch of conference play for both teams. Following this weekend, Lamar will face in-state foe Sam Houston in a home-and-home midweek set before traveling to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. McNeese State will host Prairie View A&M on Wednesday before a home series against Southeastern Louisiana next weekend.