HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana University baseball coach Bobby Barbier, along with pitchers Brennan Stuprich and Brady St. Pierre, earned superlative awards Wednesday as the Southland Conference announced its 2025 All-Conference teams and postseason honors.
 
Seven Lion players earned All-Southland honors, tied with UTRGV for the most in the conference, and another two were named to the All-Defensive squad.
 
Stuprich and St. Pierre both earned first-team honors, joining shortstop TJ Salvaggio and outfielder Dane Watts. Catcher Conner O'Neal, utility player Giovanni Licciardi and starting pitcher Blake Lobell were named to the second team, while Watts joined right fielder Parker Coley in earning All-Defensive honors.
 
Barbier, in his second season at the helm of the program, was named the conference's Coach of the Year. SLU won the league's regular-season title, claiming the No. 1 seed in the Southland's upcoming postseason tournament. The native of Marrero, Louisiana engineered a 12-win improvement in conference play, guiding the Lions to a 22-8 mark in league action.
 
Keys to Southeastern's success this season include its stalwart pitching staff and rock-solid defense. The Lions rank third nationally in shutouts (8), fourth in double plays turned (49) and seventh with a 3.58 staff ERA.
 
Stuprich was named the Southland's Pitcher of the Year. The redshirt senior from Kenner, Louisiana owns a 9-4 win-loss record, 105 strikeouts and a 2.65 ERA. He ranks fifth nationally in wins and seventh in strikeouts. Stuprich also leads the Southland with a .197 batting average against.
 
St. Pierre was named the league's Relief Pitcher of the Year. The freshman from LaPlace, Louisiana leads the Southland with nine saves, ranking 18^th nationally. He has compiled a 1-1 win-loss record and a 3.77 ERA in 28.2 innings pitched, striking out 33 batters. Opponents are hitting just .198 off the right-hander.
 
Salvaggio enters the postseason hitting .324 with 10 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs and 45 RBIs. The senior from Slidell, Louisiana ranks seventh in the Southland in homers and 10^th in OPS (.999). He leads the Lions with 48 runs scored.
 
Watts is hitting .345 with 11 doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 34 RBIs. The junior from Hammond ranks ninth in the Southland in batting average. A versatile defensive player, he has started multiple games at all three outfield positions this season and has three outfield assists.
 
O'Neal, one of the top power-hitting catchers in the nation, is hitting .280 with six doubles, 14 home runs and 52 RBIs. The senior from Waverly Hall, Georgia ranks second in the Southland in walks (48), third in homers, fifth in RBIs and eighth in OPS (1.037). He is also second in the conference with five sacrifice flies.
 
Licciardi has spent significant time at both the hot corner and keystone positions this season. The redshirt junior from Metairie, Louisiana is hitting .308 with three doubles, one triple, two home runs and 28 RBIs.
 
Lobell has compiled a 7-1 win-loss record to go along with 39 strikeouts and a 3.84 ERA in 58.2 innings pitched. The junior from Springfield, Louisiana ranks third in the Southland in wins and 10^th in ERA.
 
Coley has a 1.000 fielding percentage and six outfield assists. The senior from Sterlington, Louisiana has also been part of three double plays this season.
 
UP NEXT
Southeastern will play host to the 2025 Southland Conference Baseball Championships Hammond Bracket presented by GeoSurfaces this week at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
 
Conference regular-season champion SLU (37-14, 22-8 SLC) is the No. 1 seed and will face eighth-seeded New Orleans (25-24, 12-18 SLC) at 6 p.m. Thursday. The double-elimination, four-team bracket will open at 1 p.m. Thursday, when fourth-seeded Northwestern State (33-19, 19-11 SLC) takes on No. 5 seed McNeese (31-15, 19-11 SLC).
 
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 the 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.
 
SOUTHLAND INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Player of the Year – Armani Raygoza, UTRGV
Hitter of the Year – Damian Ruiz, Lamar
Pitcher of the Year – Brennan Stuprich, Southeastern
Relief Pitcher of the Year – Brady St. Pierre, Southeastern
Newcomer of the Year – Victor Loa, UTRGV
Freshman of the Year – Cermodrick Bland, SFA
Coach of the Year – Bobby Barbier, Southeastern
 
FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
C – Steven Lancia, UTRGV
1B – Rob Liddington, UIW
2B – Matt Ryan, Lamar
SS – TJ Salvaggio, Southeastern
3B – Easton Moomau, UTRGV
OF – Damian Ruiz, Lamar
OF – Conner Westenburg, McNeese
OF – Dane Watts, Southeastern
UT – Bryce Calloway, New Orleans
DH – Armani Raygoza, UTRGV
SP – Brennan Stuprich, Southeastern
SP – Riely Hunsaker, Lamar
SP – Victor Loa, UTRGV
RP – Brady St. Pierre, Southeastern
 
SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
C – Conner O'Neal, Southeastern
1B – Jacob Sanchez, UTRGV
2B – Thomas Williams, UTRGV
SS – Isaac Lopez, UTRGV
3B – Rocco Gump, Northwestern State
OF – Rhett Hendricks, HCU
OF – Tristan Moore, New Orleans
OF – Reese Lipoma, Northwestern State
UT – Giovanni Licciardi, Southeastern
DH – Rey Mendoza, UIW
SP – Grant Edwards, New Orleans
SP – Blake Lobell, Southeastern
SP – Alexis Gravel, McNeese
RP – Peyton Havard, Lamar
 
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
C – Steven Lancia, UTRGV
1B – Austin Russell, A&M-Corpus Christi
2B – Thomas Williams, UTRGV
SS – Isaac Lopez, UTRGV
3B – Easton Moomau, UTRGV
LF – Dane Watts, Southeastern
CF – Conner Westenburg, McNeese
RF – Parker Coley, Southeastern
P – Zach Garcia, A&M-Corpus Christi