HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana baseball coach Matt Riser announced a 54-game schedule Thursday that brings some unfamiliar faces to Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field, including Big 10 opponent Northwestern, and has the Lions making a trip west for a weekend series against Utah of the Pac-12.
“Scheduling gets tougher and tougher each year,” Riser said. “The more success we have, the tougher it gets for us to find games.”
Southeastern finished the 2014 season 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.
The Lions will play eight games against teams from Power 5 conferences, including LSU and Michigan State. In April, Southeastern will make its first trek west of Texas since facing Hawaii and eventual national champion Pepperdine at NCAA West Regional in Tucson, Arizona, in 1992.
Southeastern opens the season Feb. 13-15 at home against Louisiana Tech, marking the Bulldogs first visit to Hammond since 1999. Following the season’s opening weekend, the Lions travel to Jackson State (Feb. 17) before returning home to host Tulane (Feb. 18).
SLU will renew acquaintances with former Southland Conference foe UT Arlington by participating in the UTA Hilton Invitational (Feb. 20-22). The Lions will face Houston Baptist in a non-conference matchup to open the tournament, followed by games against host UTA and Michigan State.
Returning to Louisiana, the Lions will make a trip to face perennial powerhouse LSU (Feb. 25) before returning home to host Northwestern (Feb. 27-March 1) for three games in a final tuneup before kicking off conference play.
“The Southland will be another grind,” Riser said. “Other coaches in the conference have done a great job of boosting their non-conference schedules as well, helping prepare them for Southland play. It also aides in recruiting and growing the talent level within the conference.”
Southeastern opens conference play at Incarnate Word (March 6-8), and squeezes in a game at South Alabama (March 10), before returning to Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field for its conference home opener against Abilene Christian (March 13-15).
The Lions travel to Tulane (March 17), and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (March 20-22), before welcoming Louisiana-Monroe (March 24) back to Hammond for the first time since 2005. A split series with Nicholls State (March 27-29) follows, with Southeastern hosting a lone home game against the Colonels on March 28.
The longest homestand of the season, five games, wraps up March with Southern (March 31) and rolls into April. Northwestern State (April 2-4) and South Alabama (April 7) complete the homestand, setting the stage for a trip west.
Southeastern steps out of conference play for a three-game series against Utah (April 10-12). The Utes are the first Pac-12 team the Lions face since hosting Washington State to open the 2005 season.
Games against ULL surround a home conference series with McNeese State (April 17-19). The midweek games against the Ragin’ Cajuns are April 14 in Lafayette, Louisiana, and April 21 in Hammond.
A conference series at Houston Baptist (April 24-26) and a game at Tulane (April 28) round out the month of April.
The Lions open the final month of the regular season with six of their next seven games at home. Lamar (May 1-3) and Central Arkansas (May 8-10) come to town for Southland Conference action, sandwiched around a trip to Southern (May 6) for the final midweek contest of the season.
Southeastern wraps up the regular season with a split series against New Orleans (May 14-16), with the Lions hosting a lone home game against UNO on May 15.
“We don’t have as many in-state opponents as in years past, but we still have a couple with Louisiana Tech and ULM on the schedule,” Riser said. “Keeping good, heated rivalries in state is something you want to have. We also go back to LSU. Getting to go back after making a regional appearance there last year helps prepare you for that postseason atmosphere.”
The top eight teams in the Southland will qualify for the conference’s postseason tournament which returns to Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas, after a one-year hiatus. Southeastern will be looking to defend its tournament title May 20-23.
