Lamar Cardinals baseball

Last updated
Lamar Cardinals
Baseball current event.svg 2024 Lamar Cardinals baseball team
Lamar Cardinals wordmark.svg
Founded1952
University Lamar University
Head coach Will Davis (8th season)
Conference Southland
Location Beaumont, Texas
Home stadium Vincent-Beck Stadium
(Capacity: 3,500)
Nickname Cardinals
ColorsRed and white [1]
   
NCAA Tournament appearances
1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1993, 1995, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010
Conference tournament champions
Sun Belt: 1993, 1995
Southland: 2002, 2004, 2010
Regular season conference champions
Southland: 1971, 1975*, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1985, 2003, 2004
*Co-champions
Sun Belt : 1993

The Lamar Cardinals baseball team represents Lamar University and competes in the Southland Conference of the NCAA's Division I after officially rejoining the conference on July 11, 2022. The team is coached by head coach, Will Davis following Jim Gilligan's retirement at the end of the 2016 season. Except for five seasons (1987–1991), the Cardinals baseball team had been coached by Jim Gilligan since 1973. [2] With over 1000 career wins as a head coach, Gilligan was one of the most winning coaches in NCAA history.

Contents

The Cardinals baseball team leads the Southland Conference with 10 regular season titles. [3] The Cardinals also won one Sun Belt Conference regular season title in 1993. In addition, the Cardinals have won three Southland Conference tournament titles and two Sun Belt Conference tournament titles. In the 2010 season, the Lamar was seeded seventh in the Southland Conference baseball tournament, went undefeated through the tournament, and was crowned the conference champions. The team received a bid to the 2010 NCAA Division I baseball tournament and played TCU and Baylor. Over the years, the Cardinals have appeared in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tournament thirteen (13) times.

Coaches

NCAA Division II

Lone Star Conference

  • JB Higgins (1952–1954)

(Baseball was discontinued from 1955–1966.)

NCAA Division I

Southland Conference

  • Bob Frederick (1967–1968)
  • Bill Vincent (1969–1972)
  • Jim Gilligan (1973–1986)

American South Conference

  • David Perkins (1988–1991)

Sun Belt Conference

  • Jim Gilligan (1992–1998)

Southland Conference

  • Jim Gilligan (1999–2016)
  • Will Davis (2017–present)

Lamar career coaching records

CoachNumber
of
Seasons
Overall recordWinning
percentage
Coaching Records
J.B. Higgins320–32.385
Bob Frederick233–20.622
Bill Vincent459–75–2.441
Jim Gilligan14475–299–6.614
David Perkins5120–152–2.442
Jim Gilligan24878–595–1.596
Will Davis7171–174.496
Overall581,774–1,360–10.559

(Records reflect game results through May 25, 2023.)

Year-by-year results

Information Source: [4] [5]

Year-by-Year Results
YearCoachRecordConference RecordConferenceNotes
Played home games at Stuart Stadium
1952 J. B. Higgins 7–51–1 Lone Star
1953J. B. Higgins9–132–6Lone Star
1954J. B. Higgins4–142–6Lone Star
No team from 1955 through 1966.
Played home games at Price Daniel Field
1967 Bob Frederick 14–121–2 Southland Conference
1968Bob Frederick19–83–2Southland Conference
Played home games at Cardinal Field / Vincent–Beck Stadium
1969 Bill Vincent 14–12–14–3Southland Conference
1970Bill Vincent20–178–4Southland Conference
1971Bill Vincent16–21–19–3Southland ConferenceSLC Champion
1972Bill Vincent9–256–12Southland Conference
1973 Jim Gilligan 11–156–8Southland Conference
1974Jim Gilligan23–219–6Southland Conference
1975Jim Gilligan27–2610–5Southland ConferenceSLC Co Champion
1976Jim Gilligan35–1510–5Southland ConferenceSLC Champion, NCAA Regional
1977Jim Gilligan37–14–213–2Southland ConferenceSLC Champion, NCAA Regional
1978Jim Gilligan40–1514–6Southland Conference
1979Jim Gilligan44–16–115–5Southland ConferenceSLC Champion, NCAA Regional
1980Jim Gilligan46–22–315–5Southland ConferenceSLC Zone Champion
1981Jim Gilligan54–2612–4Southland ConferenceSLC Champion, NCAA Regional
1982Jim Gilligan36–2813–3Southland ConferenceForfeited 24 games and SLC title – ineligible player
1983Jim Gilligan38–329–8Southland ConferenceSLC Zone Champion
1984Jim Gilligan45–2216–2Southland ConferenceSLC Champion, NCAA Regional
1985Jim Gilligan35–2415–2Southland ConferenceSLC Champion, NCAA Regional
1986Jim Gilligan33–239–6Southland Conference
1987David Perkins40–1915–1Southland ConferenceSLC Zone Champion, NCAA Regional
1988David Perkins20–31–14–11 American South Conference
1989David Perkins26–318–7American South Conference
1990David Perkins16–37–13–12American South Conference
1991David Perkins18–346–11 Sun Belt Conference
1992 Jim Gilligan 32–2110–9Sun Belt ConferenceNCAA's biggest turnaround of 1992 – 14 game improvement
1993Jim Gilligan44–1813–5Sun Belt ConferenceSBC Champion, SBC Tournament champion, NCAA Regional
1994Jim Gilligan36–2316–8Sun Belt ConferenceSBC West Division Champion (Tie)
1995Jim Gilligan38–2416–11Sun Belt ConferenceSBC Tournament champion, NCAA Regional
1996Jim Gilligan26–2911–16Sun Belt Conference
1997Jim Gilligan32–19–113–11Sun Belt Conference
1998Jim Gilligan26–2715–9Sun Belt Conference
1999Jim Gilligan34–2112–14 Southland Conference
2000Jim Gilligan27–2711–16Southland Conference
2001Jim Gilligan37–2413–14Southland Conference
2002Jim Gilligan36–2416–11Southland ConferenceSLC Tournament champion, NCAA Regional
2003Jim Gilligan40–1820–6Southland ConferenceSLC Champion, SLC Tournament champion, NCAA Regional
2004Jim Gilligan41–1618–8Southland ConferenceSLC Champion, NCAA Regional
2005Jim Gilligan38–2316–11Southland Conference
2006Jim Gilligan35–2319–11Southland Conference
2007Jim Gilligan34–2520–10Southland Conference
2008Jim Gilligan35–2320–10Southland Conference
2009Jim Gilligan38–2220–13Southland Conference
2010Jim Gilligan35–2616–17Southland ConferenceSLC Tournament champion, NCAA Regional
2011Jim Gilligan29–2715–18Southland Conference
2012Jim Gilligan22–3012–13Southland Conference
2013Jim Gilligan39–2027–10Southland Conference
2014Jim Gilligan31–2520–13Southland Conference
2015 Jim Gilligan21–3110–19Southland Conference
2016 Jim Gilligan35–1920–10Southland Conference
2017Will Davis33–2516–14Southland Conference
2018Will Davis19–3613–17Southland Conference
2019Will Davis18–369–21Southland Conference
2020 Will Davis10–70–0Southland Conference
2021 Will Davis25–2317–19Southland Conference
2022 Will Davis37–2120–10 WAC
2023 Will Davis32–2313–11 Southland Conference
2024 Will DavisSouthland Conference
Overall1,727–1,354–10 (Pct: .560)725–542–0 (Pct: .572)

(Records reflect game results through May 25, 2023.)

Lamar Cardinals in the NCAA tournament

YearRecordPctNotes
1976 0–2.000Arlington, TX Regional; Lost to Texas (2–3), Lost to Miami, FL (0–6)
1977 0–2.000Arlington Regional; Lost to Miami, Ohio (0–1), Lost to New Orleans (2–5)
1979 1–2.333Austin Regional; Defeated Brigham Young (3–2), Lost to Texas (4–6), Lost to Brigham Young (7–4)
1981 1–2.333Austin Regional; Defeated Stanford (6–5), Lost to Texas (2–3), Lost to Stanford (1–9)
1984 2–2.500Austin Regional; Lost to Texas (0–6), Defeated Oklahoma (4–3), Defeated UNLV (10–5), Lost to Texas (5–6)
1985 3–2.600Austin Regional; Lost to Oklahoma (1–9), Defeated LSU (4–3), Defeated Houston (10–9), Defeated Oklahoma (7–5), Lost to Texas (2–10)
1987 0–2.000Austin Regional; Lost to Texas (5–6), Lost to Indiana State (5–10)
1993 0–2.000College Station Regional; Lost to UCLA (1–6), Lost to Texas A&M (5–10)
1995 2–2.500Wichita Regional; Defeated Wichita State (13–11), Lost to Stanford (1–8), Defeated Wichita State (4–1), Lost to Stanford (9–16)
2002 1–2.333Austin Regional; Lost to Baylor (2–4), Defeated Central Conn. St. (9–4), Lost to Baylor (9–10)
2003 3–2.600Austin Regional; Defeated Arkansas (3–2), Lost to Texas (3–7), Defeated Arkansas (7–3), Defeated Texas (6–2), Lost to Texas (3–6)
2004 0–2.000Houston Regional; Lost to Texas A&M (3–14), Lost to Rice (3–6)
2010 0–2.000Fort Worth; Lost to TCU (3–16), Lost to Baylor (4–6)
TOTALS13–26 [4] .33313 NCAA Division I Tournament Appearances

Conference Tournaments

Sources: [6] [7]

YearConferenceRecord%
1967 Southland 1–2.333Semi-finalist
1968Southland3–2.600Finalist
1989 American South 1–2 [8] .333
1992 Sun Belt 2–2.500Finalist
1993Sun Belt4–1.800Champions
1994Sun Belt4–2.666Finalist
1995Sun Belt5–1.8333Champions
1997Sun Belt0–2.000
1998Sun Belt1–2.3333rd Round
2001 Southland 3–2.600Finalist
2002Southland4–01.000Champions
2003Southland0–2.000
2004Southland4–01.000Champions
2005Southland3–2.600Finalist
2006Southland2–2.500Semi-finalist
2007Southland1–2.3333rd Round
2008Southland3–2.600Finalist
2009Southland2–2.500Semi-finalist
2010Southland4–01.000Champions
2011Southland0–2.000
2013Southland3–2.600Semi-finalist
2014Southland0–2.000
2016Southland0–2.000
2017Southland0-2.000
2021Southland0-2.000
2022 WAC 1-2.333
2023Southland0-2.000
TotalWestern Athletic Conference1–2.3331 Appearance
TotalSouthland33–32.50819 Appearances
TotalAmerican South1–2.3331 Appearance
TotalSun Belt16–10.6156 Appearances
TotalOverall51–46.52627 Appearances

Major League Baseball

Players in the Majors

Many Lamar players have gone on to play in Major League Baseball.

Players drafted by Major League teams

Lamar has had 90 Major League Baseball Draft selections since the draft began in 1965. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamar University</span> Public university in Beaumont, Texas, U.S.

Lamar University is a public university in Beaumont, Texas. Lamar has been a member of the Texas State University System since 1995. It was the flagship institution of the former Lamar University System. As of the fall of 2022, the university enrollment was 17,044 students. Lamar University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and named for Mirabeau B. Lamar, the second president of the Republic of Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamar Cardinals and Lady Cardinals</span> Texas college athletics team

The Lamar Cardinals and Lady Cardinals refers to the college athletics teams of Lamar University, in Beaumont, Texas. The Cardinals and Lady Cardinals teams compete in seventeen NCAA Division I sports as a member of the Southland Conference. The Cardinals rejoined the Southland after spending the 2021–22 athletic year in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UT Arlington Mavericks</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of University of Texas at Arlington

The UT Arlington Mavericks are the athletic teams that represent the University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington, Texas. The Mavericks currently compete in the NCAA Division I Western Athletic Conference in 15 varsity sports. The number rose to 15 in the fall of 2017 women's golf began their first season of competition that athletic season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent–Beck Stadium</span> Ballpark in Beaumont, Texas, US

Vincent–Beck Stadium is a ballpark located in Beaumont, Texas, on Jim Gilligan Way on the campus of Lamar University. The stadium was built in 1969 and has a current capacity of 3,500 spectators. It is the home stadium of the Lamar Cardinals baseball team. It was also home to the Beaumont Golden Gators, a minor league Double-A Texas League affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1983–1986) as well as the Beaumont Bullfrogs of the Central Baseball League (1994). The facility is named after former Major League Baseball coach Al Vincent and Bryan Beck, a former member of the Lamar University board of regents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Orleans Privateers baseball</span> Athletic team of the University of New Orleans

The New Orleans Privateers baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of the University of New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The team is a member of the Southland Conference, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The team plays its home games at Maestri Field at Privateer Park in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Privateers are coached by Blake Dean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas State Bobcats baseball</span> Baseball team representing Texas State University

The Texas State Bobcats baseball program is the intercollegiate baseball team representing Texas State University. The Bobcats' first season was in 1985, and have played their home games at Bobcat Ballpark on the university's campus in San Marcos, Texas since 2009.

Jim Gilligan is a retired head baseball coach, primarily for the Lamar Cardinals baseball program.

The Lamar Cardinals basketball team represents Lamar University in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Cardinals currently play in the Southland Conference following a return from the Western Athletic Conference on July 11, 2022. They were one of four programs, all from Texas, that left the Southland Conference on July 1, 2021, to join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Lamar left the Southland Conference for the second time, having initially joined at the league's formation in 1963, left in 1987, and returned in 1999. After one season in the WAC, Lamar returned to the Southland Conference. The Cardinals have played home games in the Montagne Center since 1984. The Lamar University basketball team is one of the school's most storied athletic programs. The Cardinals have competed in NCAA Tournament play eleven times and six times at the NCAA Division I level with the most recent appearance in the 2012 tournament. The 1979–80 team was one of the 1980 tournament's Sweet Sixteen teams. The Cardinals have also competed in four NIT tournaments. Heading into the 2014–2015 season Lamar had a 284–143 record in the Montagne Center. The Cardinals overall record going into the 2014–2015 season was 922–818.

Larry Dan Tidwell, is the head coach for the Dallas Christian College women’s basketball team. Before moving to Kansas, he served as women's basketball head coach from 2013–2018 at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, having been retained when his former institution, the University of Texas–Pan American (UTPA), merged with the University of Texas at Brownsville. Prior to this position, he was head coach of the Lamar Lady Cardinals basketball team for six seasons from 2007–2013, as well as the Lamar athletics director from June 2010 to May 2011.

The Lamar Cardinals football program represents Lamar University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level. The Cardinals are members of the Southland Conference and play their home games in the 16,000 seat Provost Umphrey Stadium. The Cardinals left the Southland Conference in July 2021 to join the Western Athletic Conference, which relaunched its football league at the FCS level during the 2021 season. After one season in the WAC, Lamar and the Southland Conference announced on July 11, 2022 Lamar's accelerated return to the Southland Conference effective immediately.

The Lamar Lady Cardinals basketball team represents Lamar University in NCAA Division I women's basketball competition. The team plays in the 10,080 seat Montagne Center. After one season in the Western Athletic Conference, Lamar rejoined the Southland Conference on July 11, 2022.

The Lamar Lady Cardinals softball team represents Lamar University in NCAA Division I college softball. The team participates in the Southland Conference. The Lady Cardinals are currently led by head coach Amy Hooks. The team played its home games at the off-campus Ford Park for the first two seasons following the program restart. The Lady Cardinals began playing home games at the Lamar Softball Complex located on the university's campus starting with the 2015 season.

The 2015 Lamar Cardinals baseball team represents Lamar University in the 2015 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Cardinals play their home games at Vincent–Beck Stadium and are members of the Southland Conference. The team is coached by Jim Gilligan in his 39th season at Lamar.

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.

The Lamar Lady Cardinals soccer team represents Lamar University in NCAA Division I college soccer. The team, currently led by head coach Nathan Kogut, competes in the Southland Conference. The team's initial season was 2007. The Lady Cardinals' home stadium is the Lamar Soccer Complex located on the university's campus. The team began playing home games there starting with the 2009 season. The Lady Cardinals home stadium for the first two seasons was Cardinal Stadium now named Provost Umphrey Stadium.

The Lamar Lady Cardinals volleyball team represents Lamar University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. The Lady Cardinals compete in the Southland Conference and play their home games at McDonald Gym, an on campus facility in Beaumont, Texas. Brandon Crisp was named head coach on July 15, 2022. He replaced former head coach Jordan Lay who left the program on May 5, 2022, for another position.

Steve Holeman is the head women's soccer coach at Texas State University, an NCAA Division I program in the Sun Belt Conference. He was named Texas State head coach on February 9, 2022. Prior to his position at Texas State, Holeman served as head coach at three Southeastern Conference universities starting the program at two of those universities. He started the soccer program at Auburn serving as an interim head coach for one season (1993). He moved to Ole Miss starting the women's soccer program there and served as head coach for fifteen seasons (1994–2010). He moved to another Southeastern Conference university, Georgia serving as the Lady Bulldogs head coach for five seasons (2011–2015). He served as head coach at Lamar University from 2016 to 2021.

William Randall Davis Jr. is an American college baseball coach and former catcher. Davis is the head coach of the Lamar Cardinals baseball team. Davis is the son of former college baseball coach Randy Davis who was an assistant coach at UL-Monroe, LSU, and South Carolina and the head coach at Louisiana Tech. The elder Davis died in February 2022. Will Davis is married to the former Danielle Hall of Bogalusa, Louisiana. She is a former cheerleader for the New Orleans Saints. The couple have three children Everly (2016), Coco (2020), and Crash (2022).

The 2020 Lamar Cardinals baseball team represented Lamar University in the 2020 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 Will Davis in his 4th season at Lamar. The Cardinals compiled a 7–8 overall record prior to season cancellation. On March 12, the Southland Conference announced a suspension of Spring sports through March 30 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference announced that all remaining Spring 2020 sports contests were cancelled on March 14.

References

  1. Lamar University Athletics Visual Standards Manual (PDF). Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  2. "Jim Gilligan Scholarship Established for Baseball LAMAR CARDINALS Official Athletic Site". Lamarcardinals.com. 2007-07-09. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
  3. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2011-06-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. 1 2 http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/lama/sports/m-basebl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/6-3-4.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  5. "Baseball Schedule". Lamar University Athletics. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  6. "Southland Baseball" (PDF). Southland Conference. pp. 35–39. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  7. "Sun Belt Conference Baseball 2022 Record Book" (PDF). Sun Belt Conference. pp. 22–25. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  8. "1989 Baseball Schedule". Lamar University Athletics. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  9. "MLB Amateur Draft Picks who came from "Lamar University (Beaumont, TX)"". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved 2023-01-16.