HAMMOND – A strong bullpen could be the strength of Southeastern Louisiana's 2012 baseball season.

“Our pen is definitely our strong point,” head coach Jay Artigues said. “This is the type of team where we won't hesitate to go to the bullpen.”

Senior Josh Janway moves back to the bullpen where he starred as a sophomore. In 2010 Janway compiled a (4-2) won-loss record and six saves to go with his 3.07 ERA. In the process, Janway garnered spots on both the National Pitcher of the Year and National Stopper of the Year watch lists.

Joining Janway in the Lions' newly relocated and remodeled bullpen are sophomores Jason Greenleaf, Dylan Hills and Matt Pittari, and junior Stefan Lopez. Named to the 2012 NCBWA Stopper of the Year watch list, Lopez was named the top closer in the Southland Conference by CollegeBaseballInsider.com.

“Those four guys are throwing lights out right now,” Artigues said. “Dylan's just concentrating on pitching and his velocity is back up.”

In addition to the returning arms, the Lions will add some talented freshmen to the mix. Layton Tromba, a left-hander from Airline High School in Bossier City, joins Pittari to give Southeastern a pair of southpaws to call on in relief.

“Tromba's going to be pitching a lot because he pounds the zone with four pitches and works both sides of the plate,” Artigues said.

Senior right-hander Joseph Koon returns to anchor the starting staff. He'll be joined on the weekends by a pair of junior southpaws, Jordan Hymel and Buck Bernard.

“Buck Bernard has done a super job winning the Sunday role. Behind him, Kaleb Manuel has been really good. We moved him from the closer's role, which he was in junior college, to a starting role. He really pushed Buck for that weekend spot.”

Manuel is slated to get the start in Southeastern's first mid-week game Wednesday against Louisiana-Lafayette.

Also in the mix for Southeastern are freshmen Andro Cutura and Tanner Rainey. Both are dual players that could see some time on the Lion infield.

“Cutura and Rainey have a chance to be real special on the mound,” Artigues said. “Those are two of the best freshmen arms I've seen in a while. We'll try to find some opportunities to mix them in because down the road they're going to be dynamite.”

All the pitchers will be working with a new pitching coach this season as former Tulane standout Daniel Latham joined the staff in the fall. Latham comes to Southeastern after serving as the pitching coach at VMI during the 2011 season.

"Daniel brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our staff,” Artigues said. “As a player he pitched with an unmatched competitive edge, and I expect him to bring that mentality to our pitching staff."

Following a stellar four-year pitching career with the Green Wave, which saw Latham record 13 wins and a school-record 43 saves, the Covington native was selected in the 15th-round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins.

The Lions open the 2012 season at home Friday against Indiana State. First pitch at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field is scheduled for 1 p.m. with Joseph Koon on the mound for Southeastern.

Num.	Name	Pos.	B/T	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Hometown	High School	Previous School
3	Andro Cutura	IF/P	R/R	6-0	180	Fr.	Pearl River, La.	Pearl River HS
5	Josh Janway	RHP	R/R	5-9	175	Sr.	Baton Rouge, La.	Parkview Baptist HS
6	Matt Pittari	LHP	L/L	5-10	175	So.	Mandeville, La.	Fontainebleau HS
10	Jordan Hymel	LHP	L/L	6-0	205	Jr.	Gramercy, La.	Lutcher HS
13	Stefan Lopez	RHP	R/R	6-2	190	Jr.	New Iberia, La.	New Iberia HS
15	Joseph Koon	RHP	R/R	6-2	205	Sr.	Saltillo, Miss.	Tupelo HS	Itawamba CC
16	Buck Bernard	LHP	L/L	5-10	165	Jr.	Petal, Miss.	Petal HS	Pearl River CC
18	Kaleb Manuel	RHP	R/R	6-3	230	Jr.	Mamou, La.	Mamou HS	LSU-Eunice
24	Jason Greenleaf	RHP	R/R	6-3	225	So.	Covington, La.	St. Paul's HS
25	Sean Kennel	RHP	R/R	6-1	195	So.	Slidell, La.	Northshore HS	Mississippi Gulf Coast CC
28	Dylan Hills	RHP	R/R	6-2	200	So.	Ponchatoula, La.	Ponchatoula HS
29	Steven Poche	LHP	L/L	6-4	185	So.	Prairieville, La.	Parkview Baptist HS
31	Tanner Rainey	IF/P	R/R	6-2	210	Fr.	Folsom, La.	St. Paul's HS
32	Kyle Keller	RHP	R/R	6-4	180	Fr.	New Orleans, La.	Jesuit HS
35	Taylor Veillon	RHP	R/R	6-0	220	Fr.	Ville Platte, La.	Sacred Heart HS
37	John Gremillion	RHP	R/R	5-10	185	Fr.	Covington, La.	St. Paul's School	Milsaps
38	Layton Tromba	LHP	L/L	6-0	185	Fr.	Bossier City, La.	Airline HS