Southeastern Louisiana Athletics

HAMMOND – The Southeastern Louisiana softball team will open its 2010 home schedule this weekend, hosting the three-day, six-team round robin Lion Classic that begins Friday at North Oak Park.

The Lady Lions (1-2) will play Mississippi Valley State (0-0) at 3 p.m. and Jackson State (0-4) at 5:30 p.m. Saturday’s action will see Southeastern face Grambling (2-0) at 1:30 p.m. and St. Louis (0-0) at 4 p.m. Sunday’s tournament finale will pit the Lady Lions versus Tennessee-Martin at 10 a.m.

Southeastern picked up its first win of the season on Wednesday, defeating Southern, 3-2, in Baton Rouge. Senior Amber Freeman doubled home two runs in the top of the fourth inning to give the Lady Lions the lead for good. Sophomore Katelyn Thomason (1-1, 3.11 ERA) got the win for Southeastern, throwing four innings of shutout relief and holding Southern hitless while striking out six.

Through the season’s first three games, Southeastern features four hitters hitting .300 or above. Sophomore Jordan Logan leads the team with a .500 batting average, followed by Freeman (.429), sophomore Lauren Coniglio (.333) and junior Tamra Ladnier (.300). Ladnier is the lone Lady Lion to homer this season and she and Freeman share the team lead with two RBI’s each. Logan leads the team with two runs scored.

The Southeastern offensive attack should get a boost with the return of junior Katie Duhe and senior Chelsea Takacs, who both missed the first three games of the year due to illness. Duhe is a career .328 hitter and a preseason All-Southland Conference pick, while Takacs hit .263 with three home runs and 16 RBI a season ago.

Southeastern head coach Pete Langlois’ pledge to use a multitude of pitchers has come to fruition in the first three games, as Thomason is one of five Lady Lion hurlers to toe the circle early in 2010. Freshman Elise Kittrell (0-0, 0.00 ERA), junior Bailey Zievert (1-1, 3.11 ERA), senior Catherine Gunther (0-1, 7.88 ERA) and freshman Kati Morse (0-0, 9.00 ERA) have all seen action.

Southeastern will open tournament play versus a Mississippi Valley State team that has yet to play this season. The defending SWAC champions were 38-16 a season ago. Seniors Ta’Niya Wallace (.400 in 2009) and Rashundra Brass (.388, 7 HR, 35 RBI) are the top returning hitters for the Delta Devils. Senior Lisa Jansen (15-8, 2.64 ERA) returns as the staff ace.

Southeastern is 6-1 versus Mississippi Valley State all-time. The teams last met in 2008 with Southeastern taking a 3-1 victory.

Jackson State is Friday’s second opponent and will be looking for its first win of the year. Senior Amanda Boggan is the team’s top hitter with a .385 batting average, while junior Tynetta Sims (0-1, 2.25 ERA), senior Jessica Villegas (0-2, 6.43 ERA) and senior Brittanie Talley (0-1, 15.00 ERA) have handled the majority of the pitching duties.

Southeastern is 5-4 all-time versus the Lady Tigers. Last season, the Lady Lions defeated JSU twice by scores of 8-5 and 5-3.

Southeastern will open Saturday’s action versus an undefeated Grambling squad, which opened the season with a doubleheader sweep of Texas College on Wednesday. Freshman Cabrayanna Turner and junior Rosanna Alvarado share the team lead with a .667 batting average. Junior Brandi Payne and junior Patrice Bailey both threw shutouts in the circle on Wednesday for JSU.

The Lady Lions have won all nine of the previous meetings with Grambling. Southeastern won a 2-1 decision last season at Grambling. The last time GSU came to Hammond for the Lion Classic, Southeastern set a new single-game runs record in a 19-2 win over the Lady Tigers.

St. Louis and Southeastern will close out Saturday’s action. The Billikens have yet to play this season and finished 22-33 a year ago. Senior Nicki Jost (.302, 3 HR, 41 RBI in 2009) and sophomore Erin Cejka (.301, 2 HR, 30 RBI) are the team’s top returning performers at the plate. Sophomore Kelsi Matesa (8-14, 3.94 ERA) is the team’s most experienced pitcher.

Southeastern is 3-0 all-time versus St. Louis, which has come to Hammond for the Lion Classic on two occasions. The teams last met in 2008, with Southeastern earning a 9-1 victory.

The Lady Lions will close out the tournament versus Tennessee-Martin, which heads to Hammond for its 2010 season debut. Sophomore Jenny Bain (14 home runs in 2009), senior Megan Williams (.343, 36 RBI) and senior Megan Van Arsdale (10 HR, 27 RBI) highlight a potent UTM lineup. Senior Paij Lintz (11-8, 2.08 ERA) is the team’s top returning pitcher.

Southeastern is 1-2 all-time versus Tennessee-Martin. The Skyhawks edged the Lady Lions, 3-1, in last season’s Lion Classic.

Following this weekend’s tournament, Southeastern will hit the road for a 6 p.m. game at No. 19 LSU next Wednesday in Baton Rouge.

2010 Lion Classic

Friday, Feb. 19
Field One
3 p.m. – Southeastern vs. Mississippi Valley
5:30 p.m. – Southeastern vs. Jackson State

Field Two
3 p.m. – Grambling vs. Tennessee-Martin
5:30 p.m. – Mississippi Valley vs. Tennessee-Martin

Field Three
3 p.m. – St. Louis vs. Jackson State
5:30 p.m. – St. Louis vs. Grambling

Saturday, Feb. 20
Field One
11 a.m. – Mississippi Valley vs. Grambling
1:30 p.m. – Southeastern vs. Grambling
4 p.m. – Southeastern vs. St. Louis

Field Two
11 a.m. – Tennessee-Martin vs. St. Louis
1:30 p.m. – Mississippi Valley vs. Jackson State
4 p.m. – Tennessee-Martin vs. Jackson State

Sunday, Feb. 21
Field One
10 a.m. – Southeastern vs. Tennessee-Martin

Field Two
10 a.m. – Mississippi Valley vs. St. Louis

Field Three
10 a.m. – Jackson State vs. Grambling