BEAUMONT, Texas — The Lamar University baseball team (15-10/6-3 WAC) will open a five-game homestand beginning Friday when they host Abilene Christian for three games. The three-game series against the Wildcats is slated for 6 p.m. first pitch Friday, followed by a 2 p.m. start Saturday and a 1 p.m. start Sunday.
The Cardinals enter the week looking to bounce back from their current three-game skid, which is the first time all year LU has lost three consecutive games. Despite the past three games, the Cardinals remain tied for first in the WAC's Southwest Division (with Sam Houston State) just two games back of Grand Canyon over the overall lead.
Abilene Christian comes in two games over .500 on the season with a 5-4 (.556) mark in WAC contests. The Wildcats head to Beaumont tied for third in the league's southwest division a game back of LU. The Wildcats come to town having dropped three of their last five games but recorded wins in their last two outings – one of those a run-rule victory against Tarleton State followed by an upset of No. 12 TCU Tuesday in Fort Worth.
The series between the two schools dates back to the 1967 season and favors the Cardinals (23-15/.605), a mark that includes a 10-4 (.714) LU record in Beaumont. ACU has held the advantage recently having won the last six meetings and eight of the last nine. The Cardinals enter Friday first series opener looking for their first win since a 13-1 victory in Abilene in 2019.
The Cardinals plan on opening the series with junior right hander, Braxton Douthit (3-0, 1.93 ERA), followed by senior Adam Wheaton (RHP, 4-1, 2.41 ERA) on Saturday. ACU plans to counter with Tyler Morgan (RHP, 3-0, 3.90) followed by Genner Cervantes (RHP, 1-2, 8.31). Neither team has released its starter for Sunday.
All three games will be played at Vincent-Beck Stadium. The games will also be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network.