HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team returns to Southland Conference action this coming weekend, hosting McNeese in a key three-game series at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field that matches the conference's preseason No. 1 and No. 2 teams.
 
Games are scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field. All three games are slated for ESPN+. Live stats will be available online at www.LionSports.net and in the Lions Gameday Experience app. Fans can also receive in-game updates on Twitter by following the @LionUpBaseball account.
 
General Admission tickets are just $5 for Friday's series opener.
 
A pregame reunion for all baseball alumni and staff will be held before Saturday's game and there will be on-field recognition prior to the first pitch. Baseball alums interested in attending should RSVP with Allie Crain in the LAA office at allie.crain@southeastern.edu.
 
Fans can also play Baseball Bingo at Saturday's game by picking up a card at the marketing table. The first three completed bingo cards go home as winners.
 
The series finale is another Military Sunday game with all active duty military personnel and veterans receiving free admission (must show Military ID at the ticket window).
 
McNeese (22-11, 4-5 SLC) is the Southland's defending regular-season champion and was the preseason No. 1-ranked team. Southeastern (17-16, 3-6 SLC) is the defending Southland Tournament champion and was the preseason No. 2-ranked team.
 
SLU will send right-hander Will Kinzeler (4-1, 3.29) to the mound in the series opener. He will match up against Cowboy right-hander Grant Rogers (8-0, 1.42). The reigning Southland Pitcher of the Year, Rogers leads the nation in wins and ranks third in ERA.
 
McNeese has not announced starting pitchers for either of the final two games. The Lions will send out a pair of righties, Andrew Landry (2-5, 3.94) and Brennan Stuprich (3-3, 6.05), to finish out the series.
 
Tyler Finke (.325), Shea Thomas (.289) and Jake Killingsworth (.271) are the Lions' leading hitters. Thomas has driven in a team-high 31 runs. Finke ranks fifth nationally with 25 stolen bases while, as a team, Southeastern ranks ninth with 81 steals. The Lions continue to lead the nation with 90 HBPs.
 
SLU snapped a six-game skid Wednesday with a 5-4 win over No. 28-ranked UL Lafayette. The Cowboys have won four of their last five, including a pair of games in Southland action this past weekend at home against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
 
Josh Leslie (.333), Cooper Hext (.291), Braden Duhon (.284) and Tre' Obregon (.283) are the Cowboys' leading hitters. Leslie leads the Southland in both doubles (15) and RBIs (42). McNeese ranks right behind the Lions nationally in stolen bases as four different players have recorded double-digit stolen bases this season.
 
UP NEXT
Southeastern continues its homestand Tuesday at 6 p.m., hosting Jackson State in a non-conference contest at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field. For this Prime Time Tuesday game, there is a buy-one, get-one free promotion on general admission tickets.
 
TICKET & PARKING INFORMATION
Single-game tickets are now on sale. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance to minimize ticket lines on game days. Southeastern students are encouraged to contact the ticket office prior to the game to reserve theirs in advance.
 
General admission tickets for most games are $9 for adults and $6 for youth (ages 3-12). Southeastern students, with a university ID, and children under age 2 are admitted for free. Gameday parking is $5 per day for standard vehicles and $25 for RVs.
 
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.

Southeastern uses mobile ticketing as the primary method for distributing tickets purchased online. 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. 
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics enforces a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. The policy mirrors the 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.
 
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 by 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.