HAMMOND, La. – The field is set for the 2021 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament, presented by GeoSurfaces, with the league's top eight teams set to square off Wednesday through Saturday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field on the campus of Southeastern Louisiana University.
 
Matchups in Wednesday's opening session include No. 4-seeded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi against No. 5-seeded Sam Houston, the conference's preseason favorite, at 9 a.m. and No. 1-seeded Abilene Christian vs. No. 8-seeded Lamar at 12 p.m.
 
The second session features No. 2-seeded New Orleans against No. 7-seeded McNeese at 4 p.m. while tournament host and No. 3-seeded Southeastern Louisiana closes out the day's action at 7 p.m. vs. No. 6-seeded Northwestern State.
 
As many as 15 games can be played at the tournament, with four games scheduled Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Saturday's schedule depends on earlier tournament results, with one, two or three games possible in the championship round. More information, including the tournament bracket, can be found online at www.LionSports.net/SLCtournament.
 
The time between games includes a minimum of 45 minutes Wednesday and 30 minutes during the rest of the tournament. No game will begin before the published start time.
 
Every game of the 2021 tournament is scheduled to be streamed live on ESPN+, culminating in what is essentially a Texas vs. Louisiana championship game Saturday at 6 p.m.
 
This season marks the second time Southeastern will serve as the site of the conference tournament, previously hosting in 2004. The Lions won the 2014 tournament in Conway, Arkansas the last time it was hosted on a participant's campus.
 
Opened in 1996, and rededicated in 2006, Southeastern's vibrant neighborhood ballpark has led the Southland in per-game attendance each of the last six seasons, ranking first or second in both total and average attendance every year since 2007. The ballpark is outfitted with energy-efficient LED lighting, a video scoreboard and an abundance of field-level box seats.
 
TOURNAMENT TICKET INFORMATION
General Admission booklets, allowing admission to every game of the tournament, are $100 for adults and $50 for youths ages 3-12. Students presenting a valid ID from a current Southland Conference institution, and children under the age of three, will be admitted free of charge.
 
For each day of the baseball tournament, any remaining tickets will be sold for the morning session (first two games) or afternoon session (last two games). The ballpark will be cleared between sessions and re-entry is not allowed.
 
Session ticket prices are: $21 (box seats, as available), $17 (chairback seats, as available), $13 (general admission adults) and $9 (general admission youth – ages 3-12).
 
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 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Fridays. The ticket booth at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field opens exactly one hour prior to the scheduled first pitch.
 
MOBILE TICKETING
Southeastern implemented mobile ticketing as the primary method for securing tickets during the 2020-21 school year. Tickets will be available via text message or email in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet. 
 
GAMEDAY PARKING
Single-day parking during the 2021 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament, presented by GeoSurfaces, is $5 for most vehicles. An All-Tournament parking pass is available for $20 for standard vehicles and $50 for RVs.
 
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.
 
SOCIAL DISTANCING ON GAMEDAYS
Southeastern, which is following state and local health guidelines for outdoor events set forth by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, has returned to 100 percent capacity at all athletic events. Fans are asked to maintain a comfortable distance from others when possible, wear a face-covering over both their nose and mouth, and wash their hands frequently. Hand sanitizing stations are located throughout Southeastern's athletic facilities.
 
LIONS GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE APP
The 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 or by following the link www.LionSports.net/App.
 
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.
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (All Times Central)
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
9 a.m. – Game 1 – No. 4 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi vs. No. 5 Sam Houston
12 p.m. – Game 2 – No. 1 Abilene Christian vs. No. 8 Lamar
4 p.m. – Game 3 – No. 2 New Orleans vs. No. 7 McNeese
7 p.m. – Game 4 – No. 3 Southeastern Louisiana vs. No. 6 Northwestern State
 
Thursday, May 27, 2021
9 a.m. – Game 5 – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser
12 p.m. – Game 6 – Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser
4 p.m. – Game 7 – Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
7 p.m. – Game 8 – Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner
 
Friday, May 28, 2021
9 a.m. – Game 9 – Game 7 Loser vs. Game 5 Winner
12 p.m. – Game 10 – Game 8 Loser vs. Game 6 Winner
4 p.m. – Game 11 – Game 7 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner
7 p.m. – Game 12 – Game 8 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner
 
Saturday, May 29, 2021
TBD – Game 13 – Game 11 Loser vs. Game 11 Winner * #
TBD – Game 14 – Game 12 Loser vs. Game 12 Winner ^ #
6 p.m. – Championship – Game 13 Winner vs. Game 14 Winner +
 
* Game 13 – necessary if the winner of Game 9 also wins Game 11
^ Game 14 – necessary if the winner of Game 10 also wins Game 12
# If only one of the two early Saturday games are necessary, it will be played at 1 p.m., with the championship game starting at 6 p.m.