HAMMOND, La. – The No. 6-seeded Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team faces No. 3-seeded New Orleans at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the opening round of the 2024 North Oaks Health System Southland Conference Baseball Championship at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
 
Every game of the tournament, which runs through Saturday, will be carried on ESPN+.
 
Fans can also listen to every SLU game in the Hammond area on 90.9 The Lion. In addition, an audio stream is available online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive and via the Lions Gameday Experience, TuneIn and MyTuner Radio apps. Both the TuneIn and MyTuner apps are compatible with the Apple CarPlay software available in most late-model automobiles. Search for KSLU 90.9 FM in the TuneIn app.
 
UNO (30-24, 14-10 SLC) took two of three games from Southeastern (28-26, 10-14 SLC) during the Pontchartrain Bowl trophy series, May 3-5, in Hammond. Following that series, the Lions won five of their final six conference contests to qualify for the tournament.
 
Southeastern, hitting at a .284 clip as a team, is led at the plate by first team All-Conference selections Shea Thomas (.317-10-40) and TJ Salvaggio (.314-13-41). Lending protection are Ryan Brome (.294-4-29) and Southland Hitter of the Week Parker Coley (.288-11-37).
 
Right-hander Brennan Stuprich (5-3, 3.13) draws the starting nod for the Lions in the tournament opener. The redshirt junior from Kenner, Louisiana will be opposed by New Orleans junior left-hander Colton Mercer (6-5, 3.67).
 
It is the only pitching matchup on the opening day of the tournament that will feature a pair of first team All-Conference selections and is marks the second time this month the pair will square off. Both pitchers recorded a season-high in strikeouts during their May 3 matchup that saw them each exit after seven innings with the score tied, 3-3.
 
The Privateers are hitting .293 as a squad and are lead at the plate by first team All-Conference selections Mitchell Sanford (.381-15-67) and Miguel Useche (.460-5-44).
 
New Orleans has dropped three of their last four Southland contests.
 
Southeastern's game Thursday will be determined by Wednesday's outcome. With a win, the Lions will play again at 7 p.m. against the winner of the Nicholls-Texas A&M – Corpus Christi contest, while a loss will force SLU into an elimination game at 12 p.m. vs. the loser of the Nicholls-Texas A&M – Corpus Christi contest.
 
TICKET INFORMATION
All tickets are good for the entire day's slate of games. Box seats are $35. Reserved chairback seats are $30. General admission tickets are $20 for adults and $11 for Youth (ages 3-12). Kids ages 2 and under are free. Students from any Southland institution will be admitted free with a university ID.
 
The ticket booth at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field opens exactly one hour before the scheduled first pitch.

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.
 
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
Fans are encouraged to follow the Southeastern Baseball social media accounts (@LionUpBaseball) on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to stay engaged with the program.
 
The latest updates are also available at www.LionSports.net and the Lions Gameday Experience app. Available for both Android and iOS devices, the Gameday app can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play.