BATON ROUGE, La. – Southeastern Louisiana faces Rice at Alex Box Stadium, Friday at 7 p.m., to open NCAA postseason play for the second consecutive season.

Rice (31-29), the No. 3 seed in the Baton Rouge Regional, is making its 23rd-consecutive trip to the postseason, the 3rd-longest active streak in the nation. No. 2-seeded Southeastern (36-20) is making its third trip in four seasons under head coach Matt Riser.
 
The winner advances to face the winner of a matchup between host and top-seeded LSU (43-17), the No. 4 national seed, and the Regional's No. 4 seeded Texas Southern Tigers (20-32) Saturday at 7 p.m. The two losing teams from Friday's opening-round games will square off in an elimination contest Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
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, Sling TV, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

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

Links for audio, video and stats are available on the baseball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.
 
Sophomore right-hander Corey Gaconi (6-5, 2.83) draws the starting nod for the Lions on the mound Friday, going up against Rice freshman right-hander Matt Canterino (5-4, 3.94) for the second time this season.
 
Gaconi and the Lions defeated the Owls and Canterino, 12-4, earlier this year on Feb. 26 in the finale of a three-game series in Houston, Texas. Southeastern took 2-of-3 games that weekend.
 
Taylor Schwaner (.320), Drew Avans (.314), Derrick Mount (.302) and Carson Crites (.301) lead Southeastern at the plate. Crites is second in the Southland Conference with 14 home runs. Schwaner ranks 12th nationally with 68 RBI. Mount is seventh nationally with eight sacrifice flies. Avans ranks 10th nationally with 26 stolen bases.
 
The Lions are hitting .255 as a team, with 92 doubles, 18 triples and 55 home runs. Their 110 stolen bases rank sixth nationally. Southeastern's pitching staff enters the tournament with a 4.09 ERA, having fanned 401 batters through 497.1 innings of work. Opponents are hitting a Southland-low .250 off Lion pitching.
 
Southeastern earned an at-large bid, and the highest seed in program history, despite dropping 2-of-3 games in the Southland Conference Tournament this past week at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas.
 
Dominic DiCaprio (.365), Dane Myers (.360), Darryn Sheppard (.315) and Ford Proctor (.309) lead Rice at the plate. Sheppard paces the team with 20 doubles, seven home runs and 50 RBI. Myers has swiped a team-high 13 bags.
 
The Owls are hitting .291 as a team, with 121 doubles, 15 triples, 48 home runs and 39 stolen bases. Rice pitchers have combined for a 5.10 ERA, fanning 477 batters in 518.2 innings of work. Opponents are hitting .264 off Owl pitching.
 
Rice enters the Regional as one of the hottest teams in the nation, having won 18 of its last 22 games. The Owls swept through the Conference USA Tournament at MGM Park in Biloxi, Mississippi, this past week to claim an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
LAA Tailgate
The Lion Athletics Association (LAA) will host a tailgate prior to Southeastern's 7 p.m. game Friday versus Rice at the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional at Alex Box Stadium.
 
The LAA will host the tailgate, weather permitting, from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Old Front Nine parking lot across from Alex Box Stadium. Food and beverages will be available. Updates will be provided via the Lion Athletics Association's Facebook and Twitter pages.
 
Clear Bag Policy
Fans headed to the game should be aware of LSU's Clear Bag Policy. The policy is consistent with what the NFL and other professional organizations have done for the past several years. 
 
Only clear tote bags smaller than 12" x 6" x 12" or one-gallon plastic freezer bags will be allowed in athletic venues on the LSU campus. In addition, small handheld clutch purses will be permitted into LSU venues.
 
All backpacks regardless of size are prohibited and any bags larger than 12" x 6" x 12", clear or non-clear will be strictly prohibited. Exceptions will be made for approved medical needs and diaper bags (with baby). All bags will be subject to search and inspection.
 
More information can be found at www.LSUsports.net/GeauxClear.
 
Tickets Purchase Through Southeastern Ticket Office
Fans who purchased tickets through the Southeastern Louisiana Athletic Ticket Office can pick them up at the designated Will Call table, located to the side of the ticket office on the third-base side of the stadium between Gates 2 and 3. 
 
Signage will direct fans to the correct gate. The gate may change based on ticket locations each game. Gates will open 2 hours prior to the scheduled start time of the first game of the day. The stadium is cleared following each session and will reopen prior to the second game of the day.
 
Parking Information
Free parking is available for all fans in the Hayfield Lot, Levee Lot, and Old Front Nine Lot. A shuttle services fans that park in the Hayfield Lot and drops off in front of the ticket office plaza. 
 
Handicap parking is available on a first-come, first-serve basis in the Hall of Fame Lot and Bullpen Lot. Fans can access those lots by showing their state issued handicap driver's license or handicap hangtag.
 
RV parking is available in Lot 404 and Lot 406.  RV parking is free on a first-come, first-serve basis and permits are not needed.

DATE / TIME / PITCHING MATCHUP
Friday, June 2 – 7 p.m. (CT)
RICE – Freshman RHP Matt Canterino (5-4, 3.94) vs.
SLU – Sophomore RHP Corey Gaconi (6-5, 2.83)

STADIUM
Alex Box Stadium (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

TELEVISION
• ESPN3
• WatchESPN.com and WatchESPN app

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

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

NCAA Baton Rouge Regional Schedule
Friday, June 2
Game 1 – No. 1 LSU vs. No. 4 Texas Southern, 2:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Game 2 – No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana vs. No. 3 Rice, 7 p.m. (WatchESPN)

Saturday, June 3
Game 3 – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, 2 p.m. (WatchESPN)
Game 4 – Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 7 p.m. (WatchESPN)

Sunday, June 4
Game 5 – Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser, 3 p.m. (WatchESPN)
Game 6 – Game 5 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner, 8 p.m. (WatchESPN)

Monday, June 5
Game 7 – Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser, 6 p.m. (If necessary) (WatchESPN)