HAMMOND, La.  – Three former members of the Southeastern Louisiana baseball program will begin the next steps in their respective careers after signing professional contracts recently.
 
Infielder Cody Grosse, pitcher Bryce Tassin and pitcher Corey Gaconi have all reported to their respective rookie league assignments. Grosse, a 30^th round pick by the Seattle Mariners in last month's Major League Baseball Draft, will report to the AZL Mariners' rookie league affiliate in Peoria, Arizona.
 
Tassin, who was drafted in the 31^st round by the Detroit Tigers, will report to the GCL Tigers' team in Lakeland, Florida. Gaconi, who went undrafted, signed a deal with the New York Mets' organization and is playing for the Kingsport Mets in Kingsport, Tennessee.
 
Grosse made his debut last Tuesday and as of Monday has competed in four games, collecting hits in each of his last two appearances. Tassin has yet to make his debut on the mound for the GCL Tigers.
 
While Grosse and Tassin were drafted at the beginning of the month, Gaconi had to wait a little longer for a call that started a whirlwind 24 hours for the Lions' ace. After receiving the call last Thursday, Gaconi flew to Tennessee and signed his contract that day. He capped his first day as a professional by scattering three hits in two innings of work, holding the lead in a 7-2 Mets victory over the Elizabethtown Twins.
 
Grosse, who hails from Plainfield, Illinois, recently completed his second season with the Lions after transferring from John A. Logan Community College. A two-year starter, Grosse made the switch to shortstop in 2019 and was named to the All-Southland Conference team for the second straight year. His team-high totals of 50 runs (5^th) and 23 stolen bases (2^nd) both ranked high on the Southland leaderboard.
 
Tassin, a Walker, Louisiana native who prepped at Walker High School, was one of SLU's steadiest arms out of the bullpen for the third straight season. The redshirt junior right-hander was third on the team in wins, finishing 5-2 overall with a 3.89 earned run average in a team-high 27 relief appearances. Opponents hit .253 off Tassin in his third year in the green and gold.
 
Gaconi, the Southland Conference and Louisiana Pitcher of the Year, finished the year with a 7-3 record and a 2.57 earned run average, holding opponents to a .244 batting average and striking out 95 in 108.2 innings of work. The Metairie, Louisiana's control was his greatest asset, as he only walked 11 batters on the season, ranking among the Division I national leaders in strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.64, 4^th) and walks allowed per nine innings (0.91, 5^th).
 
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.