HAMMOND, La. – The No. 3 seed Southeastern Louisiana baseball team closed out its 2021 season on Friday night, dropping an 18-2 decision to seventh-seeded McNeese in the semifinals of the 2021 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament presented by GeoSurfaces at Pat Kenelly Diamond.
After opening the day’s efforts by rallying from nine runs down for a dramatic 15-13 victory over New Orleans, SLU (32-24) did not have any magic left in the nightcap. McNeese (31-28) scored four runs in each of the first three innings and added six runs in the fifth on the way to the run-rule victory.
Playing in his final game as a Lion, Eli Johnson hit his third home run of the season to help Southeastern avoid a shutout. Preston Faulkner also drove in a run for Southeastern, while Tyler Finke and Gabby Cruz each doubled.
Jake Dickerson and Brett Whelton each finished 4-for-5 with four RBI and three runs scored to fuel a 21-hit Cowboy attack. Ty Abraham (4-3) earned the win on the mound for McNeese.
Kyle Flettrich and Brock Batty each threw scoreless innings for the Lions in relief. Southeastern completed its 13th consecutive full season with 30-plus victories and a winning record.
McNeese advances to Saturday’s 6 p.m. championship game, awaiting the winner of Saturday’s 1 p.m. contest between top seed Abilene Christian and fifth-seeded Sam Houston. Both games will be televised on ESPN+.
2021 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament Presented by GeoSurfaces
Wednesday, May 26
Game 1 – No. 4 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 4, No. 5 Sam Houston 3
Game 2 – No. 1 Abilene Christian 7. No. 8 Lamar 1
Game 3 – No. 7 McNeese 12, No. 2 New Orleans 0 (8 innings)
Game 4 – No. 3 Southeastern Louisiana 2, No. 6 Northwestern State 1
Thursday, May 27
Game 5 – Sam Houston 7, Lamar 4 (LU eliminated)
Game 6 – New Orleans 14, Northwestern State 1 (7 innings) (NSU eliminated)
Game 7 – Abilene Christian 4, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3
Game 8 – McNeese 3, Southeastern Louisiana 2
Friday, May 28
Game 9 – Sam Houston 14, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 2 (7 innings) (AMCC eliminated)
Game 10 – Southeastern Louisiana 15, New Orleans 13 (UNO eliminated)
Game 11 – Sam Houston 14, Abilene Christian 12
Game 12 – McNeese 18, Southeastern Louisiana 2 (7 Innings) (SLU eliminated)
Saturday, May 29
Game 13 – Sam Houston vs. Abilene Christian, 1 p.m.
Game 14 – Winner Game 13 vs. McNeese, 6 p.m.
TOURNAMENT TICKET INFORMATION
General Admission booklets, allowing admission to every game of the tournament, are $100 for adults and $50 for youths ages 3-12. Students presenting a valid ID from a current Southland Conference institution, and children under the age of three, will be admitted free of charge.
For each day of the baseball tournament, any remaining tickets will be sold for the morning session (first two games) or afternoon session (last two games). The ballpark will be cleared between sessions and re-entry is not allowed.
Session ticket prices are: $21 (box seats, as available), $17 (chairback seats, as available), $13 (general admission adults) and $9 (general admission youth – ages 3-12).
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.
MOBILE TICKETING
Southeastern implemented mobile ticketing as the primary method for securing tickets during the 2020-21 school year. 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.
GAMEDAY PARKING
Single-day parking during the 2021 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament, presented by GeoSurfaces, is $5 for most vehicles. An All-Tournament parking pass is available for $20 for standard vehicles and $50 for RVs.
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.
SOCIAL DISTANCING ON GAMEDAYS
Southeastern, which is following state and local health guidelines for outdoor events set forth by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, has returned to 100 percent capacity at all athletic events. Fans are asked to maintain a comfortable distance from others when possible, wear a face-covering over both their nose and mouth, and wash their hands frequently. Hand sanitizing stations are located throughout Southeastern’s athletic facilities.
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: lionsports.net}
