HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana softball team will open Southland Conference play with a three-game series at league for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi this week at Chapman Field.  
 
The Lady Lions (13-6) and the host Islanders (5-14) will open the series with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Friday and conclude with Saturday's 12 p.m. series finale. Live stats and video, provided by the hosts, are accessible via the softball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.
 
Southeastern ended preconference play with a 1-3 showing at the Reveille Classic last weekend on the Texas A&M campus. The weekend saw the Lady Lions blank the host Aggies, 8-0, and suffer a pair of one-run defeats to Kansas.
 
SLU carries a .342 team batting average into the weekend series, as every regular has a .300 batting average or higher. Kelci Bodin (.432) and Madisen Blackford (.431) are the team's top hitters for average.
 
Briahna Bennett and Karlee Kraft share the team lead with two home runs each. Blackford leads the squad with 15 runs batted in and three triples, while Ella Manzer has a team-high five doubles.
 
Southeastern has swiped 61 bases as a team through 19 games, led by Aeriyl Mass (14), Lindsey Rizzo (13) and Cameron Goodman (12). Mass and Rizzo also rank 1-2 on the team in run scored with 19 and 16 runs, respectively.
 
Southeastern has used eight different pitchers on the season and the staff has combined for a 3.12 earned run average. MC Comeaux (4-1, 0.66 ERA, 1 save), Alley McDonald (3-0, 3.12 ERA), Sophie Hannabas (2-0, 3.26 ERA, 1 save), Heather Zumo (2-2, 4.05 ERA) and Tanner Wright (1-1, 1.91 ERA) have been the primary arms for SLU.
 
Southeastern will be facing a Texas A&M-Corpus Christi squad that enters the series with a .203 team batting average. Sydney Hoyt (.289, 4 HR, 13 RBI) has been the most effective hitter for the Islanders.
 
The Islander pitching staff currently has a 5.43 team ERA. Jenika Lombrana (4-5, 3.03 ERA), Kandace Johnson (1-4, 6.62 ERA) and Hoyt (0-5, 11.22 ERA) have handled the majority of the work in the circle for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
 
Up Next
Southeastern will return home to open a nine-game home stand on Wednesday, hosting Appalachian State at 5 p.m. at North Oak Park. The Southeastern Sports Network will offer a free video stream of Wednesday's game. Tune in online at www.LionSports.net or the Lions Game Day Experience app for Android or iOS devices. Fans can also watch on Southeastern's YouTube channel (/SLUathletics) with any mobile, tablet or smart TV device (e.g., Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV and Roku).
 
The first 100 fans through the gates can enjoy free wings for Wingin' It Wednesday. In addition, it will be Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night, as all SLU faculty and staff with a current, valid Southeastern ID will receive free two tickets to the contest.
 
Wednesday will also feature a Cane's Challenge at North Oak Park. If the Lady Lion score three or more runs versus ASU, fans can redeem their game ticket or student coupon at participating Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers to receive a free combo with the purchase of another of greater or equal value.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Softball, follow @LionUpSoftball on Twitter and Instagram, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.
 
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.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics 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.