SUGAR LAND, Texas – No. 2-seeded Southeastern Louisiana faces a rematch with in-state rival New Orleans, the No. 7 seed, Wednesday at noon in the first round of the 2016 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament at Constellation Field.

Southeastern (36-18, 22-8 Southland) dropped 2-of-3 games in the series to New Orleans (30-24, 14-16 Southland) during the regular season.

The game is the second of four games slated for the tournament's first day.

All of Southeastern's tournament games can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU 90.9 FM, online and through the TuneIn Radio app (search for KSLU). Fans can also keep up with the game through live statistics or by following SLUathletics on Twitter.

For the second consecutive season, every game of the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament will be carried live on ESPN3, ESPN's live multi-screen sports network. It is accessible online at www.WatchESPN.com, plus on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN and ESPN apps. Games can also be streamed via Amazon Fire TV and the Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Links for audio, video, stats, a tournament central page and tickets are available on the baseball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.

Four everyday players are hitting .300 or better for the Lions, including Jameson Fisher (.449), Drew Avans (.323), Carson Crites (.306) and Sam Roberson (.303). Fisher also leads the squad with 10 home runs and 60 RBIs. Southeastern is hitting .291 as a team, with 88 doubles, 19 triples and 43 home runs. The Lions rank sixth in the nation with 103 stolen bases.

Fisher, Southeastern's first baseman, is the top offensive threat in the nation, leading college baseball in both batting average and on-base percentage (.577). The junior from Zachary, Louisiana, ranks second nationally in OPS (1.308) and fifth in slugging percentage (.730).

Southeastern's pitching staff enters the series with a 2.85 ERA, the seventh-lowest in the nation, and has fanned 425 batters through 471 innings of work. Opponents are hitting .236 off Lion pitching.

Left-hander Kyle Cedotal (5-4, 2.92) draws the starting assignment for Southeastern in the opener. The senior from Denham Springs, Louisiana, will be opposed Wednesday by junior right-hander Riley Hodge (4-4, 4.26) for the Privateers.

UNO's pitching staff has compiled a 5.45 ERA, fanning 379 batters in 467 innings of work. Opponents are hitting .289 off Privateer pitching.

Five everyday players are hitting better than .300 for UNO, including Aaron Palmer (.339), Dakota Dean (.327), Jay Robinson (.326), Hezekiah Randolph (.316) and Preston Marsh (.309). The Privateers lead the Southland in batting average (.303), to go along with 74 doubles, 22 triples, 35 home runs and 54 stolen bases.

Both teams were swept in their final regular-season conference series, Southeastern at Central Arkansas and UNO against Nicholls.

In other Opening Day action Wednesday at Constellation Field, No. 3-seeded Northwestern State (33-22, 20-10 Southland) opens the tournament taking on No. 6-seeded McNeese State (29-22, 15-15 Southland) at 9 a.m. Wednesday. The winners of Wednesday's first two games advance to play Thursday at 4 p.m. while the losers play Thursday at 9 a.m.

Top-seeded Sam Houston State (37-19, 24-6 Southland) will take on No. 8-seeded Stephen F. Austin (27-28, 14-16 Southland) Wednesday at 4 p.m. The winner of that game advances to face the winner of No. 4-seeded Lamar (35-17, 20-10 Southland) and No. 5-seeded Central Arkansas (28-25, 16-14 Southland).

The Cardinals tied for third, but lost the tie-breaker to Northwestern State. The losers of Wednesday's last two games drop into the losers' bracket, squaring off at noon Thursday.

Tournament Format
The tournament features a pair of brackets, similar to the NCAA College World Series. Bracket winners meet for the championship. Unlike in Omaha, the bracket winners of the Southland tournament meet in a single game to decide the championship. The winner of the Southland tournament receives the league's automatic qualifier for the NCAA tournament, which begins with regional play, June 3-5.

Tournament History
This marks the 30th year of the Southland Conference baseball tournament. It began in 1964, but was mothballed from 1969-1992. Since it resumed in 1993, Sam Houston State and Texas State lead all conference teams with four tournament championships. The Bearkats won their first tournament title in 1996 and won three in a row from 2007 through 2009. The regular-season champion has won the tournament eight times, but just three times since the tournament resumed in 1993. The last team to accomplish the feat was Texas State, which won both the regular-season and tournament titles in 2011.

Ticket Information
Tickets are available for purchase at the Constellation Field box office, by phone at 281-240-4487 and online at www.SugarLandSkeeters.com. Online orders are subject to a $2 service charge per ticket.

All-Session Ticket: $60
Single Day Ticket: $18
Children 5 and Under: Free
Students at Southland Conference Institutions: Free (with valid ID)

Winner Advances to NCAA Tournament
The winner of the Southland Conference tournament earns the league's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. The field of 64 will be announced Monday at 11 a.m., Central, on ESPNU. The tournament begins with regional play June 3-5 at campus sites. Super Regionals will be held June 10-12 and the College World Series will be June 18-28/29.


No. 7 seed New Orleans Privateers (30-24, 14-16 SLC) vs. No. 2 seed Southeastern Louisiana Lions (36-18, 22-8 SLC)

DATES / TIMES / PITCHING MATCHUP
Wednesday, May 25 – 12 p.m. (CT)
UNO – Junior RHP Riley Hodge (4-4, 4.26) vs.
SLU – Senior LHP Kyle Cedotal (5-4, 2.92)

STADIUM
Constellation Field (Sugar Land, Texas)

RADIO
• KSLU, 90.9 FM
• Pregame show starts 15 minutes prior to first pitch

TELEVISION
• ESPN3
• www.WatchESPN.com, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One

INTERNET / MOBILE DEVICE
• www.LionSports.net – live audio, stats and video
• TuneIn Radio app