HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana continues its stretch of 14 consecutive games against in-state competition this weekend, hosting Northwestern State in a key Southland Conference series that features a bevy of promotions.
 
With weather expected to be a factor during the series, games between the Lions (16-17, 8-4 Southland) and Northwestern State (19-12, 9-6 Southland) are now scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
 
Saturday's game is part of the annual celebration of all things Southeastern Athletics – Super Lion Saturday – and Baseball Alumni Day. All Lion baseball alums are invited back for the game and those in attendance will be honored on the field. Alumni interested in attending are encouraged to contact Mary Hannah Prevot with the LAA at (985) 549-5091 for more information.
 
Tangi Tourism will provide "Pass-Sport" cards for the Super Lion Saturday activities. Fans can get their cards stamped at the 10:45 a.m. tailgate party, the 11 a.m. football spring game, the noon softball game and the 1 p.m. baseball game. Any fan with at least two stamps on their card will be entered into a drawing to win a movie prize pack valued over $100 courtesy of Tangi Tourism. The drawing will be held and the winner announced at that day's Southeastern baseball game.
 
Sunday's series finale is another Local Hero Appreciation Day. Every Sunday home game throughout the 2019 season, the Lions give thanks to first responders, military personnel and service members with a discounted ticket available at the ticket booth (must have a valid service ID).
 
The Lions enter the weekend tied with Stephen F. Austin for third in the Southland standings, 2.5 games behind conference-leader Sam Houston State and one-half game in front of both Incarnate Word and Northwestern State. SFA hosts the Bearkats in Nacogdoches, Texas, this weekend.
 
All three Southeastern baseball 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.
 
After winning the Pontchartrain Bowl series over New Orleans this past weekend, the Lions' late rally against Tulane came up short Tuesday in a 15-14 loss.
 
Southeastern is hitting .254 collectively, with 43 doubles, 12 triples, 23 home runs and 64 stolen bases. The Lion pitching staff has worked to a combined 5.04 ERA, striking out 277 batters in 291 innings. Opponents are hitting .260 off Southeastern pitching.
 
Kyle Schimpf (.313), Nick Ray (.302), Cody Grosse (.298) and Trey Harrington (.280) pace the Southeastern offensive attack. Ray, Schimpf and Preston Faulkner are all tied for the team lead in home runs with five apiece. Grosse leads the team with 31 RBIs and the Southland with 20 stolen bases.
 
Corey Gaconi (4-2, 2.35), a senior right-hander from Metairie, Louisiana, draws the starting nod for the Lions in the opener, opposing Northwestern State senior left-hander Ridge Heisler (3-3, 2.85). Saturday, Southeastern senior right-hander Mason Knopp (3-1, 3.90) will oppose Demon senior right-hander Nathan Jones (4-1, 2.77) in the middle game of the series. Sunday, the Lions will counter Northwestern State senior right-hander Cullen McDonald (3-0, 2.27) in the series finale with sophomore righty Will Warren (2-4, 7.04).
 
Hilton Brown (.382), Caleb Ricca (.328), Austin Stegall (.309) and Sam Taylor (.295) are the Demons' top hitters. Ricca leads the squad in home runs (5), RBIs (24) and stolen bases (14).
 
Northwestern State is hitting .258 as a team, with 61 doubles, eight triples, 22 home runs and 37 stolen bases. The Demon pitching staff has worked to a combined 3.84 ERA, striking out 245 batters in 271.2 innings of work. Opponents are hitting .251 off Northwestern State pitching.
 
The Demons dropped an 8-4 decision Wednesday at ULM, snapping a six-game winning streak.
 
Southeastern returns to the road Tuesday, traveling to Lake Charles, Louisiana, to face Southland-foe McNeese in a nonconference contest at Joe Miller Ballpark.
 
HOUSE RESOLUTION 29
Schimpf, Evan Pace, former Lion infielder Trey Morgan and head coach Matt Riser spent Wednesday afternoon at the Louisiana state capitol building as part of University of Louisiana System Day.
 
Morgan, Pace and Schimpf were honored before the Louisiana House of Representatives for the bravery they displayed this past summer, rescuing a Canadian woman from her burning car while on the way to a summer league game.
 
Authored by Southeastern's district representative Steve Pugh, HR 29 brought a standing ovation from members of the House.
 
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. The ticket booth at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field opens exactly one hour before first pitch.

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.
 
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.
 
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.