HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana softball team will open the Southland Conference portion of its 2019 schedule this week, hosting league foe Stephen F. Austin for a three-game league set at North Oak Park.
 
With inclement weather in the forecast for Saturday, the series will now open with a 5 p.m. doubleheader on Friday and conclude with a noon contest on Saturday.
 
Every home Saturday is Local Heroes Appreciation at North Oak Park, as all first responders, service members and military personnel will receive a discounted ticket with a valid ID. LionVision subscribers will be able to access a live video stream (no audio) of the series at www.LionSports.net/watch.
 
Southeastern (11-9), which saw its scheduled game with Southern Miss on Wednesday cancelled, is coming off taking two of three at the Black and Gold III Tournament in Montgomery, Alabama. The Lady Lions shook off a 5-0 loss in the opener to Eastern Kentucky and responded with a 3-1 win over Purdue Fort Wayne and an 8-3 victory over Alabama State.
 
Karlee Kraft tossed a complete-game one-hitter in the win over PFW, while Jaquelyn Ramon accounted for four of the team's season-high 12 stolen bases in the win over ASU.
 
The Lady Lions are second in the Southland with a .308 batting average, as Ella Manzer (.396, 7^th) and Rebecca Skains (.371, 10^th) rank among the league leaders. Ramon (.362), who leads the Southland with 20 runs scored, and Lindsey Rizzo (.358) are the other top hitters for average for SLU.
 
Manzer paces the team with two home runs, while Skains and Bobbi Smith each have one each. Skains is third in the Southland with 17 runs batted in, while also ranking third nationally with her league-high nine doubles. Smith shares the league lead with three triples.
 
Southeastern's offense is fueled by its base running, as the Lady Lions are leading Division I with 94 stolen bases. Ramon leads the nation with 31 steals, while Smith (13, 3^rd), Rizzo (12, 4^th), Pryscilla Prince (10, 6^th), Mima Doucet (9, 8^th) and Madisen Blackford (8, 10^th) join Ramon in the league's top 10.
 
Ramon is the Southland and SLU career leader, as well as the Division I active leader with 152 career stolen bases. The Channelview, Texas native's total is 24^th on the Division I's all-time career leaderboard.
 
Southeastern is also second in the league with a 2.71 team earned run average. Kraft (3-0, 1.69 ERA), Alley McDonald (2-3, 2.33 ERA), Tanner Wright (3-3, 2.19 ERA) and Sophie Hannabas (2-2, 3.97 ERA, 1 save) have shared the majority of the work in the circle for SLU.
 
The Lady Lions will be facing a Stephen F. Austin team (12-9) that is currently on a three-game losing streak with its last two losses coming at No. 9 LSU. Five of the Ladyjacks' nine losses have come versus nationally-ranked foes.
 
SFA is hitting .281 as a team with Madison Clements' .366 average pacing the squad. Margarita Corona and Brittany Crawford each have hit a team-high three home runs, while Crawford also leads the Ladyjacks with 14 RBI.
 
The Stephen F. Austin pitching staff carries a 3.00 team ERA into the series. Kassidy Wilbur (7-6, 2.11 ERA) and Ashley Kriesel (3-3, 3.00 ERA, 1 save) are the primary arms for SFA.
 
Following this week's series, Southeastern will hit the road for a three-game league series at Houston Baptist. The series opens with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Friday and concludes with a noon contest on Saturday.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics has instituted a clear bag policy for all ticketed events (softball, baseball, football and basketball), effective with the start of the 2018 football season. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.
 
HOME RUN CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the softball program are encouraged to join the Home Run Club. Lady Lion softball 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 Home Run Club and S Club (softball) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern softball 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 Southeastern Softball, follow @SLUlionsoftball on Twitter and Instagram, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.