HAMMOND – Coming off a nationally-televised series win over Florida International last weekend, the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team opens its home schedule on Tuesday when it plays faces in-state rival Tulane at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the internet at www.LionSports.net. Tickets are available by calling the Southeastern Athletic Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or on-line at www.LionSports.net. All Southeastern fans attending the game are encouraged to wear gold.

Southeastern, which finished 40-19 last season and has won 77 games in the past two years, opened its 2011 campaign against defending Sun Belt Conference Tournament champion FIU, taking two of three games. Behind a solid pitching effort from Brandon Efferson, the Lions snapped FIU All-American's Garrett Wittels' 56-game hitting streak (two shy of the NCAA Division I record set by Robin Ventura of Oklahoma State in 1987).

The Lions bounced back from an 8-3 loss in Saturday's contest to claim a 7-1 victory on Sunday as Tyler Watkins tossed a complete-game with Jeff Harkensee and Justin Boudreaux belting home runs to fuel a seven-hit attack.

Sophomore Brock Hebert (.455-0-2) hit safely in two of three games for the Lions, including a 3-for-4 performance in Friday's opener. The second baseman added an RBI double in Sunday's win and swiped a pair of bases during the three-game series.

Cody Gougler (.417-0-2), who led the Lions at the plate in 2010, is next in hitting for Southeastern followed by Boudreaux (.308-1-3) and Cass Hargis (.300-0-0), who passed former Lion Ty Summerlin for the school's all-time lead in runs scored (176).

Former Lutcher High product Jordan Hymel (7-1, 5.34 ERA in 2010), a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, will make his 2011 debut for Southeastern, which limited Wittels to a 1-for-11 performance at the plate and held FIU to a .208 clip in three games.

Tulane (2-1) overcame a season-opening loss on Friday to Sam Houston State to take the final two games of the series, including a 3-2 win in Sunday's finale. Frank Florio and Gunner Wright provided nearly all of the Tulane offense over the weekend, with Wright driving in the winning runs with a two-RBI single in Saturday's win and Florio delivering a pinch hit, three-run home run in the eighth to give the Green Wave their first lead of that contest.

Jeremy Schaffer (.400) leads the Green Wave at the plate while Blake Crohan has walked four times in 12 plate appearances so far in 2011.

Sophomore right-hander Kyle McKenzie will get the start on the mound for Tulane after throwing 19.1 innings last season and posted a 2-1 overall mark with an 8.47 ERA.

Tuesday's game, the first of three contests this season, will mark the 95th all-time meeting between the two schools. Tulane holds a 66-28 edge in the series that started in 1947.

Southeastern has won the last four meetings in Hammond, including a 3-2 victory as former Lion pitcher Ryan Boudreaux held Tulane to seven hits in eight solid innings of work.

After facing Tulane, the Lions will return to the road for four games beginning Friday at 1 p.m. against Alabama in the South Alabama Classic. Southeastern will also face UCF on Saturday (4:30 p.m.) and South Alabama on Sunday (2.30 p.m.) before concluding its roadtrip on March 1 against nationally-ranked LSU in a 6:30 p.m. game at Alex Box Stadium.