Southeastern Lions hold first baseball practice ahead of 2021 season

HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana baseball program opened preseason practice Friday afternoon with an intrasquad scrimmage at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field in preparation for the upcoming 2021 college baseball season, the team’s eighth under head coach Matt Riser.

Intrasquad scrimmages are also planned for 9 a.m Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Additional intrasquads throughout the three-week preseason will be announced through the team’s social media accounts.

Southeastern returns the bulk of its roster from the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, including its entire starting rotation and every member of the starting lineup. To that mix, Riser and staff have added a host of DI transfers and a potential impact freshman class.

Left-hander Trey Shaffer (3-1, 1.23), a junior from Biloxi, Mississippi was the toughest pitcher to hit off of in the Southland Conference last season, holding opponents to a .113 batting average. He is joined by junior right-hander Will Warren (2-0, 1.90) and sophomore righty Grant Upton (1-1, 1.46) in anchoring what will be a four-man rotation this spring.

Offensive catalyst Tyler Finke (.296) returns after scoring eight runs at the top of the order and tied for the conference lead with nine stolen bases. Jacob Burke (.313), a freshman from St. Francisville, Louisiana, smashed a pair of home runs and drove in eight. Freshman second baseman Champ Artigues led the squad with 11 RBIs.

The Lions open the season Friday, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m., hosting Mississippi Valley State in the opener of a three-game series at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field before heading west for a four-game series at No. 10-ranked Arizona.

TICKET INFORMATION
The Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office is currently working on season ticket renewals only. Any information on new ticket sales will be available at a later date.

Southeastern is implementing mobile ticketing as the primary method for securing tickets during the 2020-21 school year. Tickets will be available via email in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.

CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics enforces a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. The policy mirrors safety precautions required for entrance to professional and collegiate sporting venues throughout the country. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/Clear.

LIONS GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE APP
The Lions Gameday Experience app puts audio, stats, video, social media and more in the hands of fans. Those in attendance can also check in to earn reward points redeemable for Southeastern-related prizes. Available for both Android and iOS devices, it can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play or by following the link www.LionSports.net/App.

DIAMOND CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the baseball program are encouraged to join the Diamond Club. Lion baseball alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.

All membership fees and donations to both the Diamond Club and S Club (baseball) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern baseball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Lions Baseball, follow @LionUpBaseball or @MattRiser17 on Twitter, @LionUpBaseball on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.