BEAUMONT -- Saturday afternoon at Vincent-Beck Stadium served as further evidence to explain how Lamar University baseball coach Jim Gilligan has amassed 1,101 career coaching victories.

  This 2-1 regular-season finale over McNeese State contained no bearing in the Southland Conference East Division title race. It equated to the last Vincent-Beck appearance for nine Cardinals' seniors but Gilligan had no inclination to feel overly sentimental about that reality.

  Here's why it offered excellent analysis for Gilligan's success over four different decades at this University.

  To be the very best a team can be, Lamar must take care of little things and utilize time as well as possible. Gilligan determined after Friday night's division-clinching 11-inning win, that he planned to insert "Johnny Allstaff" on the mound for the 1 o'clock afternoon matinee.

  Gilligan wanted to get a look at several Lamar pitchers throwing innings in a real game before Monday's noon practice. The Cardinals are scheduled to open the SLC post-season tournament as a No. 2 seed on Wednesday in Huntsville at Sam Houston State's Don Sanders Stadium.

  Lamar's opening tournament opponent will be either Southeastern Louisiana or Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Southland Conference will release its tournament bracket with starting times today.

  Meanwhile, Gilligan remained true to the time-honored axiom that a team "can never have enough pitching" in a four-day, double-elimination tournament. Given its somewhat mediocre team pitching numbers, Lamar's brain trust understands that axiom especially holds true in this upcoming post-season.

  So out they trotted... one by one.... loyal arms that rarely receive any headlines. Jordan Thibodeaux started and permitted one run over 3.2. Give the former Lake Charles and West Orange-Stark lefty an A-plus.

  Nederland righthander Matison Smith followed with 1.1 innings. Hooray for Matison.

  Former LU star Mike Morgal's son, Matt Morgal, worked a scoreless inning. Attababy, Matthew.

  Port Neches-Groves Super Team offensive lineman and Redbirds righthander Taylor McInnis chunked a scoreless seventh and received the big W as winning pitcher. Scalp 'em, Taylor, scalp 'em.

  Righthanders Ricky Testa and John Ross Ramirez cleaned up the eighth and ninth frames with scoreless, hitless innings.

  They have not been as vital as Brian Sisk or Tim Erickson, but they have to keep mentally, physically, emotionally ready to contribute next week. Any one of them may be needed to pitch one of the post-season's more important innings.

  Besides feeling the role of a victorious LU head coach late Saturday, Gilligan also assumed the mind and feeling of a triumphant pitching coach.

  "Even if we had lost 2-1, to get six good pitching performances, I can't tell you how meaningful it was," the LU mentor said.