HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana University head softball coach Rick Fremin has signed a contract extension that will keep him at the helm of the Lady Lion softball program through the 2028 season, SLU Director of Athletics Jay Artigues announced Monday.
 
Fremin just completed his ninth season in Hammond and has a 298-181 record with the Lady Lions. His contract extension is pending approval from the University of Louisiana System's Board of Supervisors.
 
"We're extremely excited to secure four more years of success for our softball program under the direction of Rick Fremin," Artigues said. "Coach Fremin has done a tremendous job of building a championship program here at Southeastern the right way. We're expecting our softball student-athletes to continue to excel in the classroom, in the community and in competition under Coach Fremin's leadership."
 
After leading a SLU squad that earned its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and a berth in the championship game in the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional this spring, Fremin was named the state's Coach of the Year. The Lady Lions finished 47-15 overall, tying the school record for wins – one of 20 school marks set by Southeastern.
 
Fremin's 2024 Southeastern roster led Division I in stolen bases (175) for the eighth time in the past nine seasons. Under the Belle Chasse, Louisiana native's tutelage, the Lady Lions were ranked in the top 20 in Division I in batting average (.339, 6^th), earned run average (2.06, 13^th), shutouts (15, 10^th), stolen bases per game (2.82, 3^rd), triples per game (0.39, 4^th), won-loss percentage (.758, 13^th), wins (11^th) and on-base percentage (.404, 16^th).
 
The Belle Chasse, Louisiana native led SLU to its third consecutive 40-plus win season in 2024. Under Fremin's tutelage, Southeastern has a 134-45 record over the past three seasons and is one of 13 teams in Division I – one of five non-Power Four teams – to win 40 or more games in each of the past three seasons. Among those 13 teams, SLU's 134 wins in that span ranks 10^th.  
 
"Hammond, America is a special place for myself and my family and we're ecstatic to receive the opportunity from our administration to continue to raise the level of play here at Southeastern," Fremin said. "We want to string together both Southland Conference regular season and tournament championships and consistently make an impact in NCAA Tournament play."
 
Southeastern will open its fall exhibition schedule with a 5 p.m. 10-inning exhibition contest versus Northeast Alabama Community College Sept. 27 at North Oak Park. The 2025 regular season will open with SLU traveling to Baton Rouge to compete in the LSU Invitational Feb. 7-9.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Softball, follow @LionUpSoftball on X and Instagram, like /SLUathletics on Facebook.
 
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.
 
TICKETS
For ticket information, please contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net/tickets. Southeastern offers mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets. All tickets will be available via e-mail 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 has a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.