Lion Baseball opens preparations for 2018 season

HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana baseball squad begins preseason practice Friday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field in preparation for the 2018 season.

Intrasquad games for this weekend are scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. All practices are open to the public.

Intrasquads will continue next weekend as the Lions also host the annual First Pitch Banquet and alumni game. The schedule includes a 10:30 a.m. intrasquad on Feb. 2 and banquet at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at www.LionSports.net/BaseballBanquet.

Both the alumni game on Feb. 3 and an intrasquad on Feb. 4 are scheduled for 1 p.m.

Coming off back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances, head coach Matt Riser’s squad returns three All-Conference players, including Southland Conference Player of the Year Taylor Schwaner, utility player Drew Avans and pitcher Corey Gaconi.

Southeastern returns nine position players, responsible for roughly 50 percent of the offense generated last season, and despite losing staff ace Mac Sceroler to the Major League Draft, the Lions bring back nine pitchers that contributed nearly 75 percent of the teams victories and innings pitched in 2017.

Fans wishing to renew their season tickets for the upcoming season have until Friday at noon, although general admission and family packs are currently available for new purchases. Fans wishing to purchase new reserved seats may join a waiting list.

Pricing for baseball season tickets includes $279 for box seats, $128 for reserved seats and $103 for general admission. A family plan that includes two adult and two youth (ages 3-12) general admission tickets is available for $206.

Southeastern’s 31-game home baseball schedule opens Feb. 16 with a 6 p.m. game against SIU-Edwardsville at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field, kicking off a nine-game homestand that includes games with UL Lafayette, UConn and LSU. Other high-profile home games include Regional participants Southern Miss, South Alabama and Houston.

The Lions have established a school record for attendance each of the past three seasons, drawing more than 32,000 (1,210 per game average) to games at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field during the 2017 season. For more information on purchasing Southeastern baseball season tickets, contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466.

Fans interested in joining the Diamond Club can do so by contacting Tom Dawsey (tdawsey@southeastern.edu) with the Lion Athletics Association. The LAA’s phone number is (985) 549-5091.

For the latest updates on Lions baseball, follow Southeastern on Facebook (SLUathletics), the Lions on Twitter (@Lions_Baseball) and Instagram (@SLU_LionsBaseball) or check www.LionSports.net.