HAMMOND – The Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team opens its 2010 season on Friday when it plays host to defending Ohio Valley Conference champion Eastern Illinois at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.

First pitch for Friday's opener is scheduled for 6 p.m. The series resumes on Saturday at 2 p.m. followed by a 1 p.m. contest to conclude the series on Sunday. The Friday and Sunday games can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the internet at www.LionSports.net.

After posting a 37-22 record, its most victories since 1993, Southeastern looks to build on that momentum and earn its first to the NCAA Regionals since 1994.

“Last year was a good year for us, but our goal is to win a conference championship,” fifth-year coach Jay Artigues said. “The bar has been raised to where we've been in contention the last couple of years. We brought in some good guys who are going to really push our returning players for some time. For our weekend rotation, we've got five guys who are competing for spots and our bullpen is going to be a lot deeper than it has been in the past.”

The Lions, who finished second in the Southland Conference in 2009, return seven position starters and seven pitchers off a team that finished 37-22 on the season. With a talented group of 16 newcomers joining the team, Southeastern looks to climb to the top in one of the best baseball conferences in the country.

“We've got the majority of our ballclub back, with only two position starters lost,” Artigues said. “We've got the majority of our arms back, so that is something to be excited about.”

Offensively, Artigues must replace Ty Summerlin - who finished as the school's all-time leader in hits - and outfielder Brandon Street, but the Lions return a solid core of returning letterwinners highlighted by veterans Cass Hargis, Joe Sparacino, Phillip Freeman and Josh Cryer.

Chris Franklin, a Preseason All-American and NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List member, is the Lions' top pitcher out of the bullpen after posting a 5-2 record with a 2.60 ERA and a school-record 12 saves in 2009.

A pair of newcomers will take the mound for the Lions as redshirt junior Tyler Watkins will start on Friday with true freshman Stefan Lopez slated to start on Saturday. The starter for Southeastern in Sunday's contest is to be announced.

EIU, which opens at Southeastern for the third consecutive year, finished 31-19 overall last season and claimed the OVC regular-season championship. The Panthers hit a scorching .362 last season as a team while their pitching staff posted a 4.94 team ERA.

Josh Mueller, who finished 8-1 overall with a 4.85 ERA in 2009, will start in Friday's contest for EIU with Mike Recchia (8-2, 3.02 ERA) slated to start Saturday and junior college transfer Brent McNeil (7-2, 1.75 ERA) on Sunday.

Probable Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Tyler Watkins (Jr., RHP) vs. Josh Mueller (Jr, RHP)
Game 2: Stefan Lopez (Fr, RHP) vs. Mike Recchia (Jr, RHP)
Game 3: TBA vs. Brent McNeil (Jr, RHP)