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@MattRiser17
Entering his 10th season at the helm of the Southeastern Louisiana baseball program in 2023, Matt Riser has pushed the Lions to new heights. Southeastern has become one of the Southland Conference’s premier teams, earning four NCAA Tournament berths and three Southland Conference titles since 2014.
Named the 19th head coach in the history of the Southeastern baseball program at the age of 29, Riser began his career as one of the youngest head coaches at the NCAA Division I level and was recently recognized by Baseball America as one of the nation's top coaches under the age of 40.
The Lions’ success under Riser has garnered national recognition for Southeastern, leading to the program’s first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament (2016), first preseason national ranking (2017) and a Top 25 ranking during the 2018 season. Southeastern’s four NCAA appearances since 2014 place Riser third all-time in Southland history.
With 295 wins over the course of his first nine seasons, and back-to-back 40-win seasons (2015-16), Riser’s overall winning percentage (.597) ranks 14th in Southland history. He currently ranks second in program history in all-time wins.
Record-breaking performances have been achieved through an air of remarkable consistency, including record-setting attendance from 2015-18. An average of 1,071 fans passed through the gate of Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field in 2015, the first time in program history the per game average topped 1,000. It increased to 1,126 in 2016, followed by 1,210 in 2017. Attendance increased by more than 100 fans per game in 2018, ranking 55th nationally with an average crowd of 1,317. All four figures led the Southland Conference.
In 15 total seasons at Southeastern, Riser has coached 22 All-Americans, including nine Freshman All-Americans and a trio of Academic All-Americans, the National Stopper of the Year, the nation’s leading hitter and 10 Academic All-District players. Four have been named the Southland Conference Player of the Year and three have earned Freshman of the Year honors. A pair have been named Southland Relief Pitcher of the Year while one was named both Southland Pitcher of the Year and Louisiana Pitcher of the Year. Twenty-five players have been drafted.
Prior to taking over the reins of the program, Riser served as the Lions’ primary hitting coach while working extensively with the Southeastern outfielders. He also served as the third-base coach during games and the program’s recruiting coordinator, among other duties, during his six seasons as an assistant under former coach Jay Artigues.
Under Riser’s guidance, the Lion offense produced the 2012 Southland Conference Player and Hitter of the Year Brock Hebert (.374, 58 runs, 21 doubles, 36 stolen bases). Senior Jonathan Pace hit .350, giving the Lions two of the top six hitters in the conference. The pair joined NCBWA National Stopper of the Year Stefan Lopez to give Southeastern three first-team All-Conference players.
The Lions led the Southland in five offensive categories in their record-breaking 2010 season and had five All-Conference Players, including 12th-round draft pick Chris Franklin. Riser also coached Southeastern’s career-hits leader Cass Hargis and previous record-holder Ty Summerlin. After his senior season, Summerlin was drafted in the 30th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Riser, a Picayune, Miss., native, began his coaching career after completing his collegiate career at Tulane, where he played in 2005-06.
With the Green Wave, Riser played in 108 games over the course of two seasons. As a senior, he played in all 64 games and made 57 starts, finishing the season with three home runs, 37 RBI and 16 doubles, helping Tulane to a NCAA Regional Final Appearance. In 2005, Riser played a vital role in helping Tulane to the 2005 College World Series, playing in 44 games as a junior.
Prior to his time in New Orleans, Riser played under Artigues, the former Southeastern head coach and current director of athletics, for two seasons at Pearl River Community College (PRCC).
At PRCC, Riser earned All-Region XXII honors and Region XXII Defensive Player of the Year honors as a sophomore, helping PRCC to the state title. He batted .376 as a sophomore and .347 as a freshman, compiling 110 hits, 30 doubles and 109 runs scored in his two-year junior college career. The Mississippi native prepped at Picayune Memorial High and was an All-State selection as a senior.
In the fall of 2017, Riser was inducted into the Pearl River Community College Athletics Hall of Fame. He previously was honored with the Billy Slatten Award, joining the Tulane Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015 as a member of the “Katrina Class.”
Riser earned his degree in biomedical engineering from Tulane University in 2007. He and wife, Jeanette, are the parents of three sons, Alexander “Xander”, Jace and Jameson.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2014 – SOUTHLAND TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS – NCAA REGIONAL PARTICIPANT – In his inaugural season at the helm, Southeastern finished with a 38-25 record, winning the Southland Conference Tournament to advance to NCAA Regional play for the first time in 20 years and knocking off Bryant University, 2-1, for the school's first NCAA postseason victory since 1992. Along the way, the Lions produced the top hitter in the conference, arguably the top pitcher and the conference's newcomer of the year.
Jameson Fisher led the Southland with a .389 batting average, .481 on-base percentage and 93 hits. His 17 doubles fell one shy of the conference lead and he was fourth in runs scored (53). The sophomore from Zachary, Louisiana was equally impressive in Southland competition, posting a .396 batting average and .478 on-base percentage. Nationally, Fisher was 12th in hits and 15th in batting average.
Andro Cutura was the Southland Conference leader in both wins and strikeouts, compiling a 10-2 record and a 1.95 ERA. Cutura fanned 99 batters in 106 innings pitched.
Andrew Godbold hit .349 with 10 doubles, nine home runs and a conference-leading 58 RBI. Named the Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year, Godbold was also a first team selection on the All-Louisiana squad and an ABCA All-Region selection. He finished 16th nationally in RBIs.
Southeastern ranked among the best in the nation in batting average (35th), runs scored (34th), hits (20th), HBPs (9th), on-base percentage (17th), sac flies (23rd) and ERA (27th).
2015 – SOUTHLAND REGULAR-SEASON CHAMPIONS – Riser was named the 2015 Southland Conference Coach of the Year as the Lions set the school record for overall wins (42-17) and the Southland record for conference wins (25-5) on the way to claiming the conference's regular-season title.
Sophomore outfielder Jacob Seward was named the Southland Conference Player of the Year after hitting .350, scoring 47 runs and stringing together a school-record 24-game hitting streak.
A league-high 11 players were named to the All-Conference squads and a program-record five players were named to the All-Louisiana teams.
Daniel Midyett and Kyle Cedotal both earned All-Region honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association, while Mac Sceroler was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.
2016 – NCAA REGIONAL PARTICIPANT – The Lions strung together a school-record 14 consecutive victories on their way to 40 wins, but the season will be remembered by most for Fisher’s remarkable hitting performance.
The redshirt junior battled back from an injury that cost him all of 2015 to lead the nation in batting average through the end of the regular season. Fisher’s average peaked at .521 in early April before entering NCAA Regional play at .437. His final .424 average was a school record and the second-highest in the nation.
A six-time All-American, an Academic All-American, the Southland Conference Player of the Year and the Louisiana Hitter of the Year, Fisher was also a semifinalist for the Dick Hoswer Trophy, Golden Spikes Award and Gregg Olson Award.
Reliever Kade Granier turned in an equally impressive regular season, allowing just one run and carrying a 0.28 ERA into the final conference series of the year. His performance earned him the title Southland Conference Relief Pitcher of the Year.
Shortstop Brennan Breaud also earned top billing as the Southland Conference Freshman of the Year along with Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors.
2017 – NCAA REGIONAL PARTICIPANT – With a breakout season in 2017, junior Taylor Schwaner became the third-straight Lion to be named Southland Conference Player of the Year. As late as May 11, Schwaner was third nationally in RBI behind eventual leader Gavin Sheets of Wake Forest and Mississippi State phenom Brent Rooker.
Southeastern’s trademark aggressive base running led to 118 stolen bases (fifth nationally), making it back-to-back seasons the Lions ranked in the Top-10 nationally. On the mound, Sceroler broke the school’s consecutive scoreless innings record and improved his draft stock. The junior right-hander went to the Cincinnati Reds in the fifth round, joining Carson Crites (25th round, Minnesota), an All-American, in the 2017 draft class.
2018 – The Lions challenged for the conference title until the final weekend of the regular season, set the school record for stolen bases, cracked the regular-season polls for the second time in program history and extended their winning streak to six in a row over SEC powerhouse Mississippi State.
Running at will for most of the season, the Lions were “Stuck on Green.” Southeastern finished third nationally with 136 stolen bases, breaking the program record (122) for steals in a single season. It also marked the third straight season the Lions finished in the nation’s Top 10.
After shutting out Purdue, wiping out a five-run deficit to defeat No. 19-ranked Mississippi State and sweeping a conference series on the road, Southeastern earned a national ranking during the regular season for just the second time in program history. Cracking the Collegiate Baseball poll at No. 28, ahead of future Regional host East Carolina.
Five Lions earned All-Conference honors and three were drafted.
2019 – The Lions once again challenged for the conference title until the final weekend of the regular season, finishing one game back of Sam Houston State.
Named the 2019 Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year, Corey Gaconi finished the year with a 7-3 record and a 2.57 earned run average, striking out 95 in 108.2 innings of work. Gaconi's control was his greatest asset. Walking only 11 batters all season, he ranked among the Division I national leaders in strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.64, 4th) and walks allowed per nine innings (0.91, 5th).
Three Lions earned All-Conference honors, two were drafted and two more signed professional contracts. Cody Grosse (Seattle, 30th round) and Bryce Tassin (Detroit, 31st round) were drafted. Gaconi and Jared Biddy signed free-agent contracts with the New York Mets.
2020 – The 2020 season ground to a halt after the first conference series in early March with the Lions looking to bounce back from a sluggish start.
Riser bypassed Southeastern legend Pat Kenelly on the program’s all-time wins chart, earning the 231st victory of his coaching career, Feb. 28, against Stony Brook.
2021 – The Lions returned to their old offensive ways, finishing the season third nationally in HBPs and sixth in stolen bases. SLU opened the season with a statement, cruising to a 26-0 win over Mississippi Valley State that tied the program record for runs scored in a game.
Taking advantage of an opportunity to step into the starting rotation a couple of weeks into the season, Brennan Stuprich got stronger as the season wore on. The right-hander was named Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and earned multiple Freshman All-America honors.
Seven players earned All-Conference honors and right-hander Will Warren was selected by the New York Yankees in the 21st round of the MLB Draft.
2022 – SOUTHLAND TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS – NCAA REGIONAL PARTICIPANT – The “Cardiac Cats” had quite the way for the dramatic, putting together 14 comeback victories – including seven walk-off wins – on the way to earning a Southland Conference Tournament championship and returning to NCAA postseason action.
The Lions earned marquee wins over No. 3-ranked Arkansas and No. 1-ranked Ole Miss, the eventual national champion, grinding through a slate of games that ranked seventh in the nation in non-conference strength of schedule.
Southeastern’s offense ranked in the program’s Top 10 in doubles, triples and home runs. The 70 home runs hit by SLU were the fourth-most in program history and the most in more than two decades. Preston Faulkner enjoyed one of the most well-rounded offensive seasons ever by a Lion, hitting .338 with 18 doubles, 17 home runs, 70 RBIs and 39 walks.
SLU also led the nation in batters getting hit by pitch, led by Rhett Rosevear who tied the DI single-season record for HBPs.
The Lions also set or tied more than 14 Southland Conference Tournament offensive records during its run to the championship.
| Season |
W |
L |
T |
W% |
Postseason |
|
W |
L |
T |
W% |
SLC Finish |
| 2014 |
38 |
25 |
0 |
.603 |
NCAA Regional |
|
18 |
12 |
0 |
.600 |
5th (Tournament Champ) |
| 2015 |
42 |
17 |
0 |
.712 |
None |
|
25 |
5 |
0 |
.833 |
1st |
| 2016 |
40 |
21 |
0 |
.656 |
NCAA Regional |
|
22 |
8 |
0 |
.733 |
2nd |
| 2017 |
37 |
22 |
0 |
.627 |
NCAA Regional |
|
20 |
10 |
0 |
.667 |
2nd |
| 2018 |
37 |
22 |
0 |
.627 |
None |
|
21 |
9 |
0 |
.700 |
2nd |
| 2019 |
33 |
27 |
0 |
.550 |
None |
|
19 |
11 |
0 |
.633 |
2nd |
| 2020 |
6 |
10 |
0 |
.375 |
----- |
|
1 |
2 |
0 |
.333 |
----- |
| 2021 |
32 |
24 |
0 |
.571 |
None |
|
22 |
17 |
0 |
.564 |
3rd |
| 2022 |
30 |
31 |
0 |
.492 |
NCAA Regional |
|
14 |
10 |
0 |
.583 |
2nd |
| 2023 |
25 |
25 |
0 |
.500 |
None |
|
9 |
14 |
0 |
.391 |
8th |
|
320 |
224 |
0 |
.588 |
Career Totals |
|
171 |
98 |
0 |
.636 |
|
