On April 5, Southeastern Athletics held its annual Super Lions Saturday, where Southeastern fans could attend multiple sports games in one day. Friends and families were invited to experience the live, fun games, food trucks and a live band.

Baseball 

SLU baseball concluded its series against UIW with a doubleheader on Saturday, snatching victory in both to win the series and improve to 25-7. 

Senior infielder T.J. Salvaggio dazzled for the Lions this weekend, recording five hits across the series, including a two-run blast in the first game to put them ahead early. 

Junior pitcher Blake Lobell shredded through the UIW offense in the series finale. The Springfield High product pitched all nine innings, giving up just four hits without surrendering any earned runs. After the dominant complete-game shutout, Lobell improved to 4-1 on the season. 

The red-hot Lions are 8-2 in their last ten after defeating Tulane 7-3 Tuesday night in New Orleans. Their streak will be put to the test when they face SLC rival Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Texas at 6 p.m. tonight. SLU fans can listen to the game live on 90.9 The Lion.  

Softball 

Last week, SLU softball (32-10, 12-3 SLC) lost the weekend series to McNeese (25-17, 11-4 SLC). In the first game, things went smoothly as the Lady Lions won, 9-1. 

In the next game, Southeastern couldn’t get a good grip on the bat to send any runs home, while MSU ran in five early. SLU produced four runs before the game ended 7-4. 

That Saturday, the Lady Lions were in the lead 4-1 through five innings.. However, McNeese quickly caught up and took the win by surprise 5-4, aided by a four-run sixth inning rally.

Track & Field 

After a two-day meet at Southern University for the Pelican Relays, the Lions Track and Field walked away with 15 personal and three season bests despite challenging wind conditions. Javelin thrower Anna Ferrand and hammer thrower Gerritt Visser started things off on Friday, both taking second against their competition. Javelin thrower Gabriel Lim closed out the remainder of the field events on day one with a win and a new season best of 58.76 meters (192’9″). While over on the track, Jaden Bardales ran a personal best of 21.11 in the 200m, finishing fourth and leading seven Lions who set PRs down in Baton Rouge. 

On day two, top performances came from sophomore distance runner Ava Pitarro and senior sprinter Esther Nwanze in the 400m hurdles. Pitarro claimed the number one slot in the 1500m with a stop of the clock at 4:56.73 while Nwanze improved her conference lead time and moved into the East Region top-15 and National top-30 list in the hurdles. 

Nwanze’s run secured her the Southland Conference’s Women’s Track Athlete of the Week. 

Senior Olu Ogunyemi also claimed silver in the 400m hurdles, moving him up into the top-five spot on the Southeastern Conference performance list, top 40 spot in the East Region, and a top 80 time in all of Division I. 

Along with the medalists, several Lions and Lady Lions delivered key performances across the jumps, throws, and sprints, showing continued progress heading into next week’s home meet.

Beach Volleyball

On Friday, SLU beach volleyball dominated the Hub City Beach Bash Tournament against Spring Hill and Southern Miss. 

In their third matchup against SHC, they claimed a 5-0 victory. 

The fourth team, Aspen Steele and Anne Brauckmiller, had a close match after they struggled in the first set, losing 21-15. The Lady Lions clawed their way back with a 24-22 win and won their match in the third set, 15-11.

Then, Zoe Duggan and Gabriela Hrubanova had a similar result after they won their first set 21-11, but fell 23-25 in the second and then claimed the point 15-11 in the third.

Against SMU, Southeastern finished the tournament victorious, 4-1.

After the second team loss, the third team Makayla Hicks and Maggie Paiva won their match in two sets, 21-15 in the first and 21-18 in the second.

Their fourth team doubles, Aspen Steelel and Anne Bruackmiller, sealed the win against Southern Miss within two sets, 21-15 and 21-13.

The Lady Lions will compete in the Blazer Beach Bash in Birmingham, AL, with their first match against Chattanooga at 2 p.m. today, April 11.

Football 

On Super Lion Saturday, Southeastern’s football team held a spring showcase and invited visitors to watch. The practice was run with the offense running plays against the defense. While on the sideline, former players reunited with their former teammates.

Coach Frank Scelfo reflected on the spring practices and noted significant improvements in both performance and team chemistry.

“I think our team is coming together really fast, everybody elevated their game. The leadership is stepping up and we’re starting to see guys take command, take control, play with a lot of confidence, and that’s the best part,” Scelfo said.

According to Scelfo, the team is balanced on both ends, which is an excellent sign for summer workouts and fall camp. 

SLU will kick off its season in Ruston, Louisiana, on August 30, competing against LA Tech.