SIUE Cougars (1-3) at Southeastern Louisiana (0-4)
Feb. 20-22
Pat Kennelly Diamond at Alumni Field
Hammond, Louisiana

Probable Starters:
SIUE RHP Jase Phillips vs. SLU RHP Brady St. Pierre
SIUE RHP Tim Teixiera vs. SLU RHP Lakin Polk
SIUE RHP Spencer Stearns vs. SLU RHP Blake Lobell

• SIUE dropped its home opener Tuesday to Illinois State Tuesday. The Cougars dropped two of three in their season-opening series at North Alabama.
• The Lions fell to 20^th-ranked Southern Mississippi Tuesday after being swept in their season-opening series against Kent State.
• The Cougars and Lions have played two previous series in 2018 and 2022. All six games have been played in Hammond. Southeastern Louisiana has a 4-2 lead in the all-time series, winning two of three in each of the first two.
• The Lions were the Southland Conference champions a season ago, winning 38 total games and going 22-8 in league play.
• SIUE was picked as the preseason favorite in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll.
• In 2025, the Cougars finished 18-8 in OVC play, marking the second most OVC wins in program history.
• SIUE led the OVC in wins but finished second by percentage points to Eastern Illinois in the regular season race.
• The Cougars' 26 total wins tied for fourth most since moving to Division I play in 2008.
• Head Coach Sean Lyons is beginning his 10^th season at the helm and has a career record of 189-253-1. His 189 wins are third most in program history.
• In 2025, SIUE hit 77 home runs and drove home 337 runs. Both totals were second most in the program's Division I history. The 77 home runs were the most in the Ohio Valley Conference.
• SIUE returns five players who started at least 49 games in 2025 in Chase Bloomer, Daniel Gierer, Mack Mitchell, Ryan Niedzwiedz and Ethan Willoughby.
• In total, the Cougars bring back 11 players on the offensive side. Those 11 players accounted for 62 of 77 home runs (81 percent) and 263 of 337 (78 percent) RBIs.
• Niedzwiedz was named as the OVC Preseason Player of the Year by D1baseball.com. He ranked 34^th on D1baseball.com's list of preseason Top 50 first baseman.
• Mack Mitchell was ranked 32^nd on D1baseball.com's preseason Top 50 second baseman. Mitchell's 19 home runs in 2025 tied for the OVC lead.
• On the mound, SIUE returns its top two starters in Spencer Stearns and Tim Teixeira. They accounted for 28 starts, 126 strikeouts and six wins between them.