HAMMOND, La. – After helping the Southeastern Louisiana University softball team to a 3-0 start to the season, Lady Lion juniors Lexi Johnson and Cera Blanchard earned the first Southland Conference weekly softball awards of 2023 in an announcement from the league office Monday.
 
Johnson was named the Southland Conference Hitter of the Week for the second time in her career, while Blanchard earned SLC Pitcher of the Week accolades after a stellar debut in the green and gold.
 
Johnson was SLU's top hitter in its three wins over defending Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champion Missouri State in the Lion Classic. The Reserve, Louisiana native hit .750 (6-for-8) for the weekend with three RBI and three runs scored, highlighted by a 5-for-5 showing in Sunday's doubleheader sweep of the Bears. Johnson was previously
 
Blanchard, who is in her first season with the Lady Lions after transferring from Copiah-Lincoln Community College, finished 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, five strikeouts and a .172 opposing batting average in her first action with SLU. She combined with KK Ladner for the team's first shutout in an 8-0 Southeastern victory in Sunday's tournament finale.
 
Southeastern will face another quality opponent Wednesday when reigning Conference USA regular season champion Louisiana Tech (3-0) visits North Oak Park for a 5 p.m. contest. Wednesday's game will air on ESPN+ and live stats will be accessible at www.LionSports.net/sidearmstats/softball.
 
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.