BEAUMONT, Texas – Fresh off its first Southland Baseball Tournament title since 2010, Lamar is officially headed back to the NCAA Tournament as the Cardinals were selected Monday to the 2026 NCAA Baseball Championship field and placed in the College Station Regional.

Southland Tournament Champion Lamar will open regional play Friday against No. 12 national seed Texas A&M at 3 p.m. CT on SEC Network. The other opening-round matchup in College Station features USC and Texas State.

The regional appearance marks Lamar’s 12th NCAA Tournament berth. The Cardinals secured the conference’s automatic bid after capturing their fourth Southland Baseball Tournament title with a 2-1 victory over McNeese in Game 2 of the 2026 Southland Baseball Championship Series.

Lamar enters the NCAA Tournament after a remarkable postseason run. After dropping its opening game of Beaumont Bracket play to Stephen F. Austin, the Cardinals responded with six consecutive wins to capture the tournament crown. Lamar battled through four straight elimination-game victories in bracket play before adding two more wins over McNeese in the championship series on its home field at Vincent-Beck Stadium.

Southland Pitcher of the Year Chris Olivier delivered the title-clinching performance in the championship finale, working eight innings and allowing just one run on four hits while striking out seven. Julius Carpio recorded the save to secure the tournament championship.

Lamar now turns its attention to College Station, where the Cardinals will begin NCAA Regional play Friday afternoon against Texas A&M in one of four teams competing in the double-elimination regional.