HAMMOND – The Southeastern baseball program has not only established itself as one of the Southland Conference's elite programs on the field, but in the classroom as well.

Under the direction of head coach Jay Artigues, the Lions posted their fifth straight 30-win season in 2011, finishing with a 35-22 record. Tyler Watkins was named the Louisiana Pitcher of the Year and was joined on the All-Southland Conference team by Major League Baseball draftees Justin Boudreaux (14th Round, Los Angeles Dodgers) and Brandon Efferson (37th Round, Los Angeles Angels), as well as Brock Hebert, Jeff Harkensee, Jonathan Pace and Stefan Lopez.

However, the program's performance in the classroom has matched the team's success on the field. For the sixth consecutive semester, the team has posted above a 3.0 grade point average. The Lions had a 3.16 team grade point average this spring and placed a Southland-high 24 student-athletes on the Southland Conference Spring Commissioner's Honor Roll.

Leading the way in the classroom was Josh Cryer, who was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. A three-time Southland All-Academic selection, Cryer receive the President's Medal for Academic Excellence at the university's commencement exercises – the highest honor for a Southeastern graduate. Cryer was joined by Watkins and Cody Gougler on the league's All-Academic squad for the second straight season.

"I'm extremely proud of the job this team did not only on the field but in the classroom,” Artigues commented. “Seventy-five percent of our roster had a 3.0 GPA or better, which speaks volumes of the character and commitment of our student-athletes.”

Artigues was quick to give credit to his senior class for the program's growth both on and off the field. Cryer was joined among the spring graduates by teammates Watkins, Harkesee, the program's all-time hits leader Cass Hargis, Jared Ashford, Trey Martin, Jacob Ott and Joe Sparacino.

“This year's senior class averaged 36 wins in their four years at Southeastern,” Artigues said. “They finished their career with 144 wins in those four seasons, which is the most by any senior class in the history of Southeastern. They without a doubt left a positive mark on not only the baseball program but the university as a whole."

The 2012 version of the Lions will open the season in mid-February.