HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana's baseball success has been built on a firm foundation of solid pitching and defense, with an outfield more capable than most at tracking down fly balls.
Last season's Southland Conference championship squad put together a 3.18 ERA, ranking 18th nationally, thanks in part to excellent outfield defense. Southeastern turned in a 42-17 record overall and went 25-5 in league action, setting the Southland record for conference wins en route to winning the first Southland regular-season title in program history.
Head coach
Matt Riser returns with all three starters in the outfield and at designated hitter.
"This is probably the best overall defensive outfield we've had," Riser said. "When you look at the speed out there,
Jacob Seward is the best defensive center fielder in the country in my opinion, and then on the corners there's
Julian Service and
Ryan Byers."
The 2015 Southland Conference Player of the Year, Seward led the Lions in batting average (.350), on-base percentage (.442), hits (76) and stolen bases (19). The native of New Orleans, Louisiana, also broke the school record with a 24-game hitting streak. His 47 runs scored ranked second in the conference to his right fielder.
"Service runs like a deer and has probably the strongest arm we've had out there since Philip Freeman in 2009," Riser said. "Then Byers, a returning All-Conference player, isn't going to have the chance to settle into an every day schedule because
Drew Avans is pushing him extremely hard."
A native of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, Service was recently named one of the top professional prospects in the conference, ranked No. 8 by D1Baseball.com and No. 9 by Baseball America. Last season he hit .270 with a Southland-leading 49 runs scored. He also stole 17 bases in 20 attempts.
Byers, a preseason All-Southland selection, ranked second in the conference with 44 RBIs in 2015. The native of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, hit .290 and tied for second on the club with four home runs. He also stole 15 bases in 17 attempts.
Avans falls in the mold of preseason All-American
Kyle Cedotal. A southpaw on the mound, he brings a left-handed bat and speed to the outfield.
"We talk about all these guys and then you throw into the mix
Webb Bobo, a big, physical, left-handed bat," Riser said. "We'll be able to play some matchups, play the hot hand, run a defensive crew out there late and an offensive crew out there early. This is the deepest outfield we've had in many, many years."
Bobo may also see time at designated hitter, a spot held down the majority of last season by
Daniel Midyett. As a reserve, Bobo hit .289 with a pair of home runs and 11 RBIs.
Midyett projects once again as the starter at DH. A preseason All-Southland selection, the senior from Shreveport, Louisiana, hit .306 in 2015 with nine doubles, eight home runs and a conference-high 46 RBIs.
Southeastern opens the 2016 season at home, Feb. 19, with a three-game series against UL Monroe and the Lions' Southland action commences March 11 at home against UIW. The Southland Conference Tournament, featuring the league's top eight teams, will be played May 25-28 once again at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas.
Baseball season tickets, as well as individual game tickets for the season-opening, 8-game homestand, are currently on sale. Season ticket options include box seats ($275), reserved seats ($125) and general admission ($100). A family plan that includes two adult and two youth (ages 3-12) general admission tickets is also available for $200. Southeastern students will be admitted free to home games with a valid university ID card.
Fans have until the Lions' season opener to purchase season ticket packages and can do so by contacting the athletics ticket office at (985) 549-5466 or 1-866-LION-TIX. Ticket office hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Fridays.
