HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana welcomes the return of Andrew Gipson to the baseball staff as its pitching coach, head coach Matt Riser announced Tuesday.
 
Gipson's hire is pending approval of the University of Louisiana System's Board of Supervisors. The native of Oneonta, Alabama rejoins Riser's staff on a full-time basis, taking over for Kaleb Manuel.
 
"In the middle of all this, we're extremely excited to add some familiarity with Coach Gipson," Riser said. "It's a second chance for him to work with our pitchers. He brings a lot to the table, not only from a baseball standpoint but in a personal role for our student-athletes. I think there is also a want to honor Coach Mamou [Kaleb Manuel] with everything going on in his life."
 
Gipson was previously a member of the Lion coaching staff for five seasons, most recently serving as associate head coach and pitching coach in 2019. During that stretch, he helped lead Southeastern to a conference regular-season title and two NCAA Regional appearances.
 
Gipson served in an interim coaching role this past season while also functioning as Southeastern's Interim Assistant Athletic Director for Student Services.
 
During his time in upper administration, Gipson used his skills to aid in crafting the Lion Leadership Institute. The mission of the Lion Leadership Institute (LLI) is to expand on the athletic department's mission statement, creating opportunities for Southeastern student-athletes to grow and mature in areas beyond athletic competition.
 
Areas of LLI focus include career development, leadership development, personal development, financial education and community engagement. The resources are various campus and community members skilled and experienced in one or more of those areas. The aim is to empower coaches to schedule the resources as they see fit based on what best fits their schedules. The goal is to have coaches schedule one or more of these resources from each focus area throughout the academic year.
 
Prior to arriving in Hammond, Gipson spent one season each as a student assistant and graduate assistant at Belhaven, finally serving as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at his alma mater during the 2014 season.
 
Manuel, who returns to the local high school ranks, served as a rallying point in the return to his alma mater. Over the course of the past year, the native of Mamou, Louisiana has battled an aggressive type of cancer. A large brain tumor was surgically removed during the fall, and another was removed from his chest the week leading up to Opening Day. He successfully juggled doctor visits, surgeries, treatment and team practices to return to the dugout in time for Southeastern's first game of the season.
 
"Coach Mamou is going back to high school, and we were fortunate to have him for the year we did," Riser said. "With everything going on, he needed a slower pace. He will always be a huge part of all this. He's given me more in a lifetime than most individuals I meet in life."
 
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.