Lamar sports information
BEAUMONT – Riding a six-game win streak, for the second time this season, the Lamar University baseball team looks to keep the momentum going in its first non-conference game since March 15 when the Cardinals travel to face Texas at UFCU Disch-Falk Field at 6 p.m. Tuesday night.
Tuesday’s contest will be carried on the Longhorn Network that can been seen on ESPN3. Fans can follow along at WatchESPN.com, on ESPN apps for Apple and android devices or any streaming device. Voice of the Cardinals Harold Mann will also carry the game on Newstalk KLVI 560AM, which can be heard at KLVI.com or on the iHeart Media app.
The two programs haven’t met since they faced off in the NCAA Regionals at Disch-Falk in 2003. They matched up three times in that Regional, and LU took game two of the series 6-2 and it also downed Arkansas 7-6. Texas took the first and third contests 7-3 and 6-3, respectively.
“It’ll be special for me to go there. Several of the greatest moments in Lamar history have been on that field,” said head coach Jim Gilligan, who is in his final season as head coach. “It’ll be a very sentimental game for me.”
Two right-handers will start the game for each team. Fernando Martinez (1-2, 4.60 earned run average) will get the nod from Lamar and Nolan Kingman (1-2, 2.37) heads to the mound for UT. Martinez, who opened the season as a starter in the weekend rotation, has 3.38 ERA in starts.
“We have to use it to get our pitching staff some work. Our starting pitching has done so well that we haven’t gotten into our bullpen,” said Gilligan. “I don’t want those guys dying on the vine down there. We have to get those guys in.”
Texas enters the game after a huge Big 12 series win over nationally-ranked TCU during the weekend. In midweek contests, the Horns are 3-1 and average over nine runs a game. The one loss was to rival Texas A&M, 5-4, on a walk-off home run.
Patrick Mathis leads the team in hitting on a .322 batting average, he also tops the team in home runs. Three other hitters have an average over .300, Travis Jones (.318), Tres Barrera (.318) and Joe Baker (.314). Barrera is the leader in runs batted in at 18 and runs scored (16).
As a team, UT is hitting .268 with over five runs a game being scored. Its pitching staff has a .237 opponent’s batting average and allows more than four runs a contest, only 3.5 earned.
Bryndan Arredondo continues to lead LU in batting average at .378. The junior catcher has 13 runs batted in and 18 scored. Senior shortstop Stijn van der Meer has been on a tear with 22 hits in his last 51 at-bats (.431) and has lifted his batting average from .222 to .345, where it stands heading to UT, in that span.
Reid Russell is second with a .353 batting average and has a team-high eight home runs- which ties for the Southland Conference lead. Jake Nash raised his average to .319 over the weekend had has 20 RBI and 18 runs scored.
LU is hitting .289 as a team and scores at a 6.22 runs per game clip. Its pitching staff has a 3.51 ERA and an opponent’s batting average.
“You never know if you’re going to have to go for an at-large bid, so this Texas game could be a good RPI game for us. We have to play it both ways,” said Gilligan.
Over the weekend, the Cardinals will continue non-conference action with a Southland Conference foe, Abilene Christian. That series is slated to get started at 6 p.m. Friday night.