2016 Lamar Cardinals baseball team

The 2016 Lamar Cardinals baseball team represented Lamar University in the 2016 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Cardinals played their home games at Vincent–Beck Stadium and are members of the Southland Conference. The team was coached by Jim Gilligan in his 39th and final season at Lamar.

For information on all Lamar University sports, see Lamar Cardinals and Lady Cardinals

2016 Lamar Cardinals baseball
Conference	Southland Conference
2016 record	35–19 (20–10 SLC)
Head coach	Jim Gilligan (39th season)
Assistant coaches	Will Davis (1st season) Scott Hatten (16th season)
Home stadium	Vincent–Beck Stadium (Capacity: 3,500)

2016 Southland Conference baseball standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Sam Houston State  ‍†‍‡‍^y	24	–	6		.800			42	–	22		.656
Southeastern Louisiana ‍‍‍^y	22	–	8		.733			40	–	21		.656
Lamar  ‍‍‍	20	–	10		.667			35	–	19		.648
Northwestern State  ‍‍‍	20	–	10		.667			33	–	24		.579
Central Arkansas  ‍‍‍	16	–	14		.533			29	–	27		.518
McNeese State  ‍‍‍	15	–	15		.500			31	–	25		.554
New Orleans  ‍‍‍	14	–	16		.467			31	–	26		.544
Stephen F. Austin  ‍‍‍	14	–	16		.467			30	–	30		.500
Nicholls State  ‍‍‍	14	–	16		.467			26	–	30		.464
Houston Baptist  ‍‍‍	12	–	18		.400			24	–	29		.453
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi  ‍‍‍	8	–	20		.286			19	–	32		.373
Abilene Christian *  ‍‍‍	8	–	21		.276			16	–	37		.302
Incarnate Word *  ‍‍‍	5	–	22		.185			13	–	38		.255
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament * Ineligible for league and NCAA tournaments due to transition from Division II As of June 11, 2016[1]; Rankings from Collegiate Baseball

Previous Season

In 2015, the Cardinals finished the season 11th in the Southland with a record of 21–31, 9–18 in conference play. They failed to qualify for the 2015 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament.

Roster

2016 Lamar Cardinals roster[2]
	Pitchers 5 Galen Andrews - Junior 6 Kyle Leggett - Senior 11 Brent Janak - Junior 12 Connor Thomas - Senior 19 Billy Love - Senior 20 Fernando Martinez - Senior 22 Tyler Keegan - Sophomore 27 Jimmy Johnson - Junior 28 Jayson McKinley - Senior 30 Enrique Oquendo - Senior 31 Brett Brown - Junior 34 Joe Farley - Senior 35 Travis Moore - Senior 37 Ryan Cawthorn - Senior 40 Josh Crain - Freshman 46 Matt White - Freshman 48 Will Hibbs - Senior		Catchers 32 Bryndan Arredondo - Junior 33 Robin Adames - Freshman Infielders 2 Gaylen Tristan - Junior 8 Ryan Erickson - Freshman 9 Chaneng Varela - Junior 17 Reid Russell - Junior 18 Stijn van der Meer - Senior 21 Jake Nash - Senior 23 J. M. Kelly - Junior 26 Brett Taff - Freshman 44 Trey Silvers -Junion		Outfielders 7 Brendan Satran - Junior 24 Jacoby Middleton - Senior 36 Cutter McDowell - Junior

Coaches

2015 Lamar Cardinals baseball coaching staff[2]

29 Jim Gilligan - Head Coach - 40th year 52 Will Davis - Head Coach in Waiting - 1st year 10 Scott Hatten - Assistant Coach - 15th year 50 Brandon Kirkham - Volunteer Assistant

Preseason

Staff changes

On September 21, 2015, the Cardinals head coach, Jim Gilligan, announced he will be retiring at the conclusion of the 2016 season.[3]

On January 15, 2016, Will Davis was named Jim Gilligan's successor beginning with the 2017 season. Davis was an assistant coach at LSU.[4][5][6] Will Davis joined the Lamar coaching staff as an assistant coach as the Cardinals' third base and running coach on February 11, 2016. He fills the position left by Jim Ricklefsen's departure following 18 years as an assistant coach.[7]

Preseason predictions and honors

The Cardinals were predicted to finish 9th in the Southland in the preseason Coaches and Sports Information Director polls.[8]

On February 10, two Cardinals were named to preseason Southland Conference All-Conference teams. Stijn van der Meer, playing short stop for the Cardinals, was named as a 1st Team All-Conference member, and Jake Nash, as third baseman was named as 2nd Team All-Conference member.[9]

Season

February

The Cardinals began Coach Jim Gilligan's final season with six straight wins sweeping Southeast Missouri State and with wins over #23 Arizona and #7 LSU and one win over North Dakota State. The game against LSU set a new attendance record for Vincent-Beck Stadium with 3,563 fans in attendance. On the downside, the Cardinals finished the month and the North Dakota State series with three straight losses to the Bison.

The Cardinals finished the month with an overall 6–3 record.

March

The month started with a win against Prairie View A&M, a 2-1 split series against UTRGV, a 1–2 series split against Northwestern State to begin conference play, followed by a loss to Houston. The month ended with a seven-game winning streak sweeping Central Arkansas and New Orleans in conference play as well as a non-conference win against Texas.

The Cardinals had an 11–4 record for the month of March for a cumulative record of 17–7. They also ended the month with a 7–2 record in Southland Conference play. The month ended with a 7-game winning streak.

April

The Cardinals continued the winning streak in April winning the first 8 games of the month. The winning streak ended at 15 straight following a 3–6 loss to the Baylor Bears in Waco. The Cardinals were ranked #25 in the April 11 Collegiate Baseball poll. The team dropped out of the poll following the loss to Baylor plus two losses to McNeese State. The Cardinals ended the month with a 14–3 record for the month. The cumulative record was 31-10. In conference play, the Cardinals had a 9-3 record for the month and a cumulative record of 16–5.

May

May saw the Cardinals opening the month with a 5-game losing streak. The team ended the regular season with a 4-7 record and an overall regular season record of 35-17. In conference play, the Cardinals had a 4–5 record for the month with a final conference record of 20-10.

The Cardinals qualified for the 2016 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament as the 4th seed. The Cardinals were eliminated from the tournament after losing their second game. Including tournament play, the Cardinals finished the 2016 season with a 35–19 overall record.

Post Season

Post Season Honors

Robin Adames was selected as a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.[10]

Reid Russell was named Southland Conference Hitter of the Year. Stijn van de Meer, Will Hibbs, and Reid Russel were named to the first team Southland Conference All-Conference team. Jake Nash was named as a third team SLC All-Conference member. Jacob Middleton and Jimmy Johnson received SLC Honorable Mention honors.[11]

Reid Russell was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association Rawlings South Central All-Region first team.[12]

Reid Russell was one of eight Division I players invited to the 3rd annual College Home Run Derby at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.[13][14] Russell finished the derby in 3rd place after competing in the semi-final round; missing the final round by one home run.[15]

Major League Draft and Free Agents

• Major League Draft - Two Cardinals were selected in the Major League Baseball draft. Will Hibbs was a 19th round selection by the Philadelphia Phillies. Stijn van de Meer was selected by the Houston Astros in the 34th round.[16]
• Free Agents - Enrique Oquendo signed a free agent contract with Los Angeles Angels shortly after the MLB draft.[17] Jason McKinley signed a free agent contract with the Tampa Bay Rays on June 20.[18]

Schedule

2016 Lamar Cardinals Baseball Game Log[19]
Legend:           = Win           = Loss           = Postponement     Bold = Lamar team member
Regular Season
February (6–3) Date Opponent Site/Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Record SLC Record Feb 19 Southeast Missouri State* Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 2–1 Hibbs, W. (1-0) Lucchesi, J. (1-0) Oquendo, E. (1) 647 1–0 Feb 20 Southeast Missouri State* Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 2–1 (10) Johnson, J. (1-0) Murphy, J. (0-1) None 659 2–0 Feb 21 Southeast Missouri State* Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 5–2 Martinez, F. (1-0) Beltran, R. (0-1) Love, B. (1) 691 3–0 Feb 22 #23 Arizona* Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 13–5 Andrews, G. (1-0) Medel, R. (0-1) Moore, T. (1) 671 4–0 Feb 24 #7 LSU* Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 12–11 Johnson, J. (2-0) Bugg, P. (0-1) Oqueno, E. (2) 3,563 5–0 Feb 26 North Dakota State* Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 7–6 Johnson, J. (2-0) Terres, S. (0-1) None 611 6–0 Feb 27 (DH) North Dakota State* Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX L 6–7 Choles, C. (1-0) Moore, T. (0-1) England, D. (1) 6–1 Feb 27 (DH) North Dakota State* Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX L 0–3 Pfannenstein, R. (1-0) Martinez, F. (0-1) Harms, J. (1) 827 6–2 Feb 28 North Dakota State* Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX L 5–7 VanderWoude, B. (2-0) Andrews, G. (1-1) Terres, S. (2) 614 6–3
March (11–4) Date Opponent Site/Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Record SLC Record Mar 1 at Prairie View A&M* Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 13–3 Moore, T. (1-1) Roblebo, E. (1-2) None 502 7–3 Mar 4 UTRGV* Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 4–1 Hibbs, W. (2-0) Martinez, Z (0-1) Johnson, J. (1) 677 8–3 Mar 5 UTRGV* Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX L 3–7 Garcia, A. (1-1) Martinez, F. (1-2) None 732 8–4 Mar 6 UTRGV* Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 4–1 Brown, B. (1-0) Jackson, R. (0-3) Johnson, J. (2) 577 9–4 Mar 8 Rice* Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX Cancelled (-) (-) – Mar 12 at Northwestern State H. Alvin Brown–C. C. Stroud Field • Natchitoches, LA L 0–2 Oller, A. (2-0) Hibbs, W. (2-1) None 612 9–5 0–1 Mar 13 (DH) at Northwestern State H. Alvin Brown–C. C. Stroud Field • Natchitoches, LA W 6–5 Johnson, J. (4-0) Aultman, N. (1-2) None 10–5 1–1 Mar 13 (DH) at Northwestern State H. Alvin Brown–C. C. Stroud Field • Natchitoches, LA L 1–5 Tidwell, E. (2-1) Love, B. (0-1) None 582 10–6 1–2 Mar 15 #19/20 Houston* Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX L 3–4 Kasowksi, M. (2-1) Janak, B. (0-1) Hernandez, N. (4) 1,074 10–7 Mar 18 Central Arkansas Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 19–5 Hibbs (3-1) Gilmore (1-3) None 536 11–7 2–2 Mar 19 Central Arkansas Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 7–6 Johnson, J. (5-0) Murray, J. (0-2) None 636 12–7 3–2 Mar 20 Central Arkansas Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 9–2 McKinley, J. (1-0) Gray, T. (1-1) None 573 13–7 4–2 Mar 24 New Orleans Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 10–7 Hobbs, W. (4-1) Semple, S. (3-1) Johnson, J. (3) 605 14–7 5–2 Mar 25 New Orleans Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 5–1 Love, B. (1-1) Hodge, R. (3-1) None 716 15–7 6–2 Mar 26 New Orleans Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 7–5 Oquendo, E. (1-0) Martinez, D. (2-1) None 718 16–7 7–2 Mar 29 Texas* UFCU Disch–Falk Field • Austin, TX W 4–2 Johnson, J. (6-0) Mayes, C. (0-3) Oquendo, E. (3) 4,391 17–7
April (14–3) Date Opponent Site/Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Record SLC Record Apr 2 (DH) at Abilene Christian* Crutcher Scott Field • Abilene, TX W 8–5 Hibbs, W. (5-1) Garrett, D. (2-4) Johnson, J. (4) 18–7 Apr 2 (DH) at Abilene Christian* Crutcher Scott Field • Abilene, TX W 16–6 Love, B. (2-1) Mason, A (3-2) None 1,135 19–7 Apr 3 at Abilene Christian* Crutcher Scott Field • Abilene, TX W 7–5 McKinley, J. (2-0) Hanson, D. (1-2) Johnson, J. (5) 403 20–7 Apr 5 Nicholls* Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 7–2 Moore, T. (2-1) Tarver, A. (1-1) None 634 21–7 Apr 6 Nicholls* Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 14–10 White, M. (1-0) Speer, H. (0-1) None 578 22–7 Apr 8 at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Chapman Field • Corpus Christi, TX W 1–0 Hibbs, W. (6-1) Falwell, C. (1-3) None 153 23–7 8–2 Apr 9 at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Chapman Field • Corpus Christi, TX W 5–1 Love, B. (3-1) Skapura, D. (2-4) None 178 24–7 9–2 Apr 10 at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Chapman Field • Corpus Christi, TX W 15–12 Martinez, F. (2-2) Worrel, D. (2-4) None 187 25–7 10–2 Apr 13 at Baylor* Baylor Ballpark • Waco, TX L 3–6 Ott (3-2) Johnson, J. (6-1) Montemayor (8) 1,918 25–8 Apr 15 McNeese State Vincent–Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 5–1 Hibbs, W. (7-1) Fontenot, K. (4-3) None 1,107 26–8 11–2 Apr 16 McNeese State Vincent–Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX L 4–5 King, B. (4-1) Love, B. (3-2) Kober, C. (6) 979 26–9 11–3 Apr 17 McNeese State Vincent–Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX L 0–1 Stremmel, E. (3-1) McKinley, J. (2-1) Kober, C. (7) 722 26–10 11–4 Apr 20 Texas Southern* Vincent–Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX CANCELLED (-) (-) – Apr 22 at Houston Baptist Husky Field • Houston, TX W 3–1 Hibbs, W. (8-1) Thames, C. (2-4) Martinez, F. (1) 317 27–10 12–4 Apr 23 at Houston Baptist Husky Field • Houston, TX W 8–0 Love, B. (4-2) Russ, A. (6-3) None 28–10 13–4 Apr 24 at Houston Baptist Husky Field • Houston, TX W 8–6 Johnson, J. (7-1) Zarosky, D. (2-3) None 578 29–10 14–4 Apr 29 Incarnate Word Sullivan Field • San Antonio, TX W 20–6 Hibbs, W. (9-1) Martinez, B. (1-8) None 145 30–10 15–4 Apr 30 Incarnate Word Sullivan Field • San Antonio, TX W 3–1 Love, B. (5-2) Shull, J. (2-5) Martinez, F. (2) 167 31–10 16–4
May (4–7) Date Opponent Site/Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Record SLC Record May 1 Incarnate Word Sullivan Field • San Antonio, TX L 2–3 Richey, C (2-4) Johnson, J. (7-2) Moszkowicz, L. (7) 162 31–11 16–5 May 4 at Rice* Reckling Park • Houston, TX L 2–7 Esquivel (1-0) McKinley, J. (2-2) None 3,782 31–12 May 6 Southeastern Louisiana Vincent–Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX L 6–14 Cedotal, K. (5-4) Hibbs, W. (9-2) Green, J. (1) 741 31–13 16–6 May 7 Southeastern Louisiana Vincent–Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX L 2–5 Sceroler, M. (9-2) Love, B. (5-3) Granier, K. (7) 643 31–14 16–7 May 8 Southeastern Louisiana Vincent–Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX L 1–2 Carlini, D. (6-1) Moore, T. (2-2) Green, J. (2) 665 31–15 16–8 May 13 Sam Houston State Vincent–Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX W 9–8 Moore, T. (3-2) Manning, M. (4-3) None 837 32–15 17–8 May 14 Sam Houston State Vincent–Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX L 4–9 Nixon, H (3-2) Love, B. (5-4) Belton, G. (10) 1,104 32–16 17–9 May 15 Sam Houston State Vincent–Beck Stadium • Beaumont, TX L 4–7 Belton, G. (4-1) Martinez, F. (2-3) Manning, M. (2) 889 32–17 17–10 May 19 at Stephen F. Austin Jaycees Field • Nacogdoches, TX W 10–9 Moore, T. (4-2) Starks, T. (3-2) Martinez, F. (3) 181 33–17 18–10 May 20 at Stephen F. Austin Jaycees Field • Nacogdoches, TX W 13–6 McKinley, J. (3-2) Smith, A. (0-1) None 228 34–17 19–10 May 21 at Stephen F. Austin Jaycees Field • Nacogdoches, TX W 12–0 Love, B. (6-4) Greene, J. (4-6) None 329 35–17 20–10
Post Season
Southland Conference Tournament Date Opponent Site/Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Record May 25 Central Arkansas Constellation Field • Sugar Land, TX L 0–3 Davenport, C. (6-2) Hibbs, W. (9-3) Gray, T. (1) 1,761 35–18 May 26 Stephen F. Austin Constellation Field • Sugar Land, TX L 0–3 Hagey, A. (5-4) Love, B. (4-5) Starks, T. (6) 35–19

References

1. "Southland Conference - 2016 Standings". d1Baseball.com. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
2. "2016 Baseball Roster". Lamar Cardinals Athletics. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
3. Kendall Rogers (September 21, 2015). "Lamar's Jim Gilligan Retiring After 2016". D1Baseball.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
4. Randy Rosetta (January 15, 2016). "LSU assistant coach Will Davis will take charge of the Lamar program in 2017". The Times-Picayune - 2016 NOLA Media Group. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
5. Brian Foley (January 15, 2016). "Lamar hires LSU Assistant Will Davis as Head Coach for 2017 Season". College Baseball Daily. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
6. Kendall Rogers (January 15, 2016). "Lamar Hires LSU's Davis As Successor". D1Baseball.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
7. Danny Shapiro (February 12, 2016). "Gilligan's successor joins Lamar baseball staff". Hearst Newspapers II, LLC. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
8. "Southeastern Louisiana Picked to Win 2016 Southland Conference Baseball Title". Southland Conference. February 2, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
9. "Southland Announces Preseason All-Conference Baseball Teams". Southland Conference. February 10, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
10. Matthew Fowler (June 8, 2016). "Adames named freshman All-American". Lamar University Athletics. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
11. "Southeastern Louisiana's Fisher Named Southland Baseball Player of the Year". Southland Conference. May 23, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
12. "2016 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. I All-Region Teams announced". American Baseball Coaches Association. June 15, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
13. "Field for College Home Rund Derby announced". Omaha Herald. June 30, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
14. "Contestants Named for the 2016 TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby". Business Wire. June 30, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
15. James Dixon (July 3, 2016). "Russell Third in College Home Run Derby". Lamar University Athletics. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
16. Matthew Fowler (June 11, 2016). "Hibbs, van de Meer chosen in MLB draft". Lamar University Athletics. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
17. Matthew Fowler (June 14, 2016). "Oquendo signs with the Angels". Lamar University Athletics. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
18. Matthew Fowler (June 24, 2016). "McKinley signs with the Tampa Bay Rays". Lamar University Athletics. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
19. "2016 Baseball Schedule". Lamar Cardinals Athletics. Retrieved February 25, 2016.