BATON ROUGE, La. – Southeastern Louisiana returns to NCAA postseason play Friday night at 7 p.m. against an experienced Rice squad at Alex Box Stadium.

Rice (35-22), the No. 2 seed in the Baton Rouge Regional, is making its 22nd-consecutive trip to the postseason, a streak that is the 4th-longest in NCAA history. No. 3-seeded Southeastern (39-19) is making its second trip in three seasons.

"When you get in an historic venue like this, there will be a lot of emotions going back and forth," Southeastern head coach Matt Riser said. "If it's your first time in The Box, it can get intimidating real fast. We have a lot of history playing here midweek and in the Regional two years ago. A lot of guys off that club are still here. They know how to handle those emotions, the good, the bad, the indifferent, throughout the ballgame. Our guys are mature and know how to handle it in this venue."

All of Southeastern's Regional 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.

Every game of the Baton Rouge Regional will be carried live on ESPN3, ESPN's live multi-screen sports network. It is accessible online at www.WatchESPN.com, and 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 and stats are available on the baseball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.

The Lions won three straight in the Southland Conference Tournament last week before falling to regular-season champion Sam Houston State in the tournament championship game. It was Southeastern's fourth trip to the tournament championship game in five seasons.

Three everyday players are hitting .300 or better for the Lions, including Jameson Fisher (.437), Carson Crites (.307) and Sam Roberson (.303). Fisher, a Louisville Slugger All-American, also leads the squad with 11 home runs and 66 RBIs. Southeastern is hitting .289 as a team, with 96 doubles, 20 triples and 46 home runs. The Lions rank sixth in the nation with 109 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 (.564). The junior from Zachary, Louisiana, ranks second nationally in OPS (1.280) and fifth in slugging percentage (.716).

Southeastern's pitching staff enters the Regional with a 2.83 ERA, the sixth-lowest in the nation, and has fanned 446 batters through 506 innings of work. Opponents are hitting .232 off Lion pitching.

Right-hander Mac Sceroler (10-3, 2.18) draws the starting assignment for Southeastern in its Regional opener. The sophomore from Denham Springs, Louisiana, will be opposed Friday by senior left-hander Blake Fox (4-7, 2.76) for the Owls.

Rice's pitching staff owns a 3.80 ERA and has fanned 477 batters in 509 innings of work. Opponents are hitting .243 off Owl pitching.

Charlie Warren (.346), Ford Proctor (.343), Dominic DeCaprio (.310) and Tristan Gray (.307) are Rice's top hitters. The Owls are hitting .271 as a team, with 71 doubles, 14 triples, 24 home runs and 33 stolen bases.

Rice won 3-of-5 games in the Conference USA Tournament, falling in the championship game, 3-2, to host Southern Miss.

Southeastern matches up against Rice for the first time in program history.

The winner advances to play the winner of Friday's early game between top-seeded LSU (42-18) and No. 4-seeded Utah Valley (37-21) on Saturday at 7 p.m. The loser faces the loser of the LSU-Utah Valley game Saturday at 2 p.m. in an elimination contest.

No. 3-seeded Southeastern Louisiana Lions (39-19) vs. No. 2-seeded Rice Owls (35-22)

DATES / TIMES / PITCHING MATCHUP
Friday, June 3 – 7 p.m. (CT)
SLU – Sophomore RHP Mac Sceroler (10-3, 2.18) vs.
RICE – Senior LHP Blake Fox (4-7, 2.76)

STADIUM
Alex Box Stadium (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

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

Friday, June 3
G1: No. 4 Utah Valley vs. No. 1 LSU 2 p.m.
G2: No. 3 Southeastern La. vs. No. 2 Rice 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 4
G3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 2 p.m.
G4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 7 p.m.

Sunday, June 5
G5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 2 p.m.
G6: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 4 7 p.m.

Monday, June 6
G7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6* 7 p.m.
*if necessary | All games are CT