HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana opens Southland Conference action this weekend, hosting Central Arkansas in a three-game series at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field. Games are scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
 
The Lions (5-8) enter the series having won three consecutive, including a midweek sweep of ULM, while the Bears (4-9) have dropped six of their last seven following a 3-3 start to the season.
 
Both Friday and Sunday's games can be heard in the Hammond area on the flagship station of the Southeastern Sports Radio Network, KSLU 90.9 FM, online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive and via both the Lions Gameday Experience and TuneIn Radio apps.
 
Fans can also keep up with all the action through streaming video ($), live statistics or by following @SLUathletics on Twitter. Web links to audio and video broadcasts, stats, promotions and tickets are available on the baseball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.
 
The series finale is another Local Hero Appreciation Day. Every Sunday home game throughout the 2019 season, the Lions give thanks to first responders, service members and military personnel with a discounted ticket available at the ticket booth (must have a valid service ID).
 
Southeastern is hitting .275 collectively, with 20 doubles, four triples, six home runs and 27 stolen bases. The Lion pitching staff has worked to a combined 6.21 ERA, striking out 108 batters in 113 innings. Opponents are hitting .276 off Southeastern pitching.
 
Connor Manola (.409), Kyle Schimpf (.367), Preston Faulkner (.308) and Cody Grosse (.302) pace the Southeastern offensive attack at the plate. Nick Ray and Nathan Pilutti are tied for the team lead with a pair of home runs each. Ray owns a team-high 16 RBI and Pilutti ranks 11th in the nation with nine stolen bases.
 
Corey Gaconi (1-1, 4.24), a senior from Metairie, Louisiana, draws the nod in the opener, opposing Bear senior right-hander Cody Davenport (1-1, 1.80).
 
The Lions will send redshirt-senior righty Carlisle Koestler (2-0, 4.00) to the mound Saturday and sophomore right-hander Will Warren (0-2, 10.38) in the series finale. Central Arkansas has yet to announce starting pitchers for the final two games.
 
Beau Orlando (.350), Joshmar Doran (.343) and Christian Brasher (.282) are the Bears' leading hitters. Josh Ragan has hit a team-high two home runs and Orlando also leads the club with 12 RBI. Kolby Johnson and Cole Fiori each have a team-best three stolen bases. 
 
Central Arkansas is hitting .233 as a team, with 23 doubles, one triple, four home runs and 13 stolen bases. Bear pitching owns a 5.24 staff ERA, striking out 106 batters in 115 innings of work. Opponents are hitting .289 off Central Arkansas pitching.
 
Southeastern, which has no midweek contests scheduled to follow the series, returns to action March 15-17 with a three-game, nonconference series at Oklahoma State.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics has instituted a clear bag policy for all ticketed events, effective with the start of the 2018 fall semester. The policy mirrors safety precautions taken upon entrance to professional and collegiate sporting venues throughout the country. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/Clear.
 
TICKET INFORMATION
Single-game tickets can be purchased online at www.LionSports.net/Tickets or by contacting the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Fridays.

General Admission tickets for Lion home games are $9 for adults and $6 for children (ages 3-12). Southeastern students are admitted free with a valid university ID card.
 
The ticket booth at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field opens exactly one hour before first pitch.

LIONS GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE APP
The new Lions Gameday Experience app puts audio, stats, video, social media and more in the hands of fans. Those in attendance can also check in to earn reward points redeemable for Southeastern-related prizes. Available for both Android and iOS devices, it can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play.
 
DIAMOND CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the baseball program are encouraged to join the Diamond Club. Lion baseball alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.
 
All membership fees and donations to both the Diamond Club and S Club (baseball) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern baseball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Lions Baseball, follow @LionUpBaseball or @MattRiser17 on Twitter,  @LionUpBaseball on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.