HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team hosts New Orleans in a three-game Southland Conference series that will serve as the annual battle for the Pontchartrain Bowl trophy.
Games are scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, 6 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field. SLU season ticketholders should be aware that some of their tickets may have outdated game times for this series.
Fans in the Hammond area can also listen on the flagship station of the Southeastern Sports Radio Network – KSLU 90.9 FM – in addition to online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive and via both the Lions Gameday Experience, Mixlr and MyTuner Radio apps. The MyTuner app is compatible with the Apple CarPlay software available in most late model automobiles. Fans should search for SLU Athletics (Mixlr) or Southeastern Sports Radio Network (MyTuner).
All three games will air on ESPN+.
Sponsored by the SLU chapter of Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity, the Pontchartrain Bowl trophy goes to the winner of the regular-season series between the Lions and Privateers. Created when UNO joined the Southland, Southeastern has claimed the trophy four of the first six times. UNO is the current champion, winning three of the four games in the 2021 series.
Hunter O’Toole (1-3, 6.44) draws the Lions’ starting assignment in the series opener opposite UNO (19-11, 6-3 SLC) sophomore left-hander Tyler LeBlanc (5-0, 4.58). LeBlanc leads the conference in wins and ranks fourth in strikeouts (42).
Will Kinzeler (2-0, 2.62), a sophomore right-hander from Covington, Louisiana, takes the ball for SLU (13-20, 4-5 SLC) Friday against Privateer senior southpaw Brandon Mitchell (1-3, 3.83). Kinzeler leads the Southland in innings pitched (44.2) while ranking third in ERA and seventh in strikeouts (40).
Freshman left-hander Adam Guth (1-1, 5.11) is slated to start for the Lions in the series finale. He will be opposed by UNO sophomore right-hander Collin Horton (2-0, 4.50). Horton ranks third in the Southland with 43 strikeouts.
The Lions’ ninth-inning rally came up short Tuesday, 3-2, at No. 11-ranked Southern Miss.
Champ Artigues (.306), Preston Faulkner (.286), Shea Thomas (.282) and Tristan Welch (.256) pace Southeastern at the plate. Faulkner leads the squad with 19 extra-base hits, including a Southland-leading nine home runs to go along with 31 RBIs. Tyler Finke is tops on the team with 12 stolen bases. Rhett Rosevear is the national leader in HBPs (22) while SLU ranks third nationally as a team (72).
UNO, which swept McNeese in conference play this past weekend, dropped a non-conference contest at home Tuesday, 4-2, to Tulane.
The top-hitting team in the Southland (.287), the Privateers are led by Amani Larry (.375), Pearce Howard (.339), Tyler Biscke (.330) and Kasten Furr (.300). Anthony Herron Jr. paces the team with 13 extra-base hits, including a team-high six home runs. Howard leads the conference with 40 RBIs and Herron is right behind him with 36 driven in. Larry tops the squad with nine stolen bases.
UP NEXT
Southeastern wraps up the four-game homestand with a non-conference matchup with South Alabama. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field. SLU was scheduled to face the Jaguars in Mobile, Alabama back on April 5 but that game was canceled because of heavy rain along the gulf coast.
TICKET & PARKING INFORMATION
Single-game tickets are on sale for the remainder of the regular season. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance to minimize ticket lines on game days. Southeastern students are encouraged to contact the ticket office prior to the game to reserve theirs in advance.
General admission tickets are $9 for adults and $6 for youth (ages 3-12). Southeastern students, with a university ID, and children under age 2 are admitted free. Gameday parking is $5 per day for standard vehicles and $25 for RVs.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.LionSports.net/Tickets or by contacting the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Fridays. The ticket booth at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field opens exactly one hour prior to the scheduled first pitch.
Southeastern uses mobile ticketing as the primary method for distributing tickets purchased online. Tickets will be available via text message or email in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.
PARKING CONSTRUCTION
The university is slated to repave a portion of the baseball parking lot, April 13-29, affecting home games against New Orleans (April 14-16), South Alabama (April 19) and Southern Miss (April 26). Additional parking will be available in the parking garage and in the lot north of the garage.
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics enforces a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. The policy mirrors 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.
LIONS GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE APP
The Lions Gameday Experience app puts audio, stats, video, social media and more in the hands of fans. Those in attendance can also check in to earn reward points redeemable for Southeastern-related prizes. Available for both Android and iOS devices, it can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play or by following the link www.LionSports.net/App.
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 visiting www.LionUp.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Lions Baseball, follow @LionUpBaseball or @MattRiser17 on Twitter, @LionUpBaseball on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.
{Courtesy: release from Southeastern}
