HAMMOND, La. – D1Baseball.com picked Southeastern Louisiana as a team to watch in 2020 and predicts infielder Champ Artigues to be the Southland Conference's Freshman of the Year in a season preview released Tuesday. 
 
"The Lions look to get back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017, and there are many reasons to think this team could do it," Kendall Rogers wrote. "It all starts on the mound, where the Lions have some talented options that need to prove something this spring."
 
A transfer from Louisiana Tech, Artigues was the Lions' leading hitter during fall workouts and will be counted on as a key offensive contributor this spring. The product of Hammond's St. Thomas Aquinas H.S. earned All-State honors three times during his prep career and helped lead the Falcons to the 2016 2A state title.
 
Joining Artigues on the list of Impact Freshmen is infielder Jacob Burke from St. Francisville, Louisiana.
 
In a list of Top Prospects in the 2020 MLB Draft, Rogers included several Lions among his Southland selections. Junior left-hander Trey Shaffer ranked fifth, followed by junior right-hander Will Warren (11), senior right-hander Justin Simanek (12), sophomore infielder Tyler Finke (20), redshirt sophomore outfielder Nick Ray (28). Considering the 2021 draft, Finke moves up to be the No. 3-ranked prospect in the Southland.
 
The 2020 season begins Friday, as Southeastern travels to No. 24-ranked UL Lafayette for a 6 p.m. nonconference contest.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics enforces a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. The policy mirrors safety precautions required for entrance to professional and collegiate sporting venues throughout the country. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/Clear.
 
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.