Southeastern baseball (37-14, 22-8 SLC) defeated Nicholls (17-32, 10-20 SLC) twice during Saturday’s doubleheader in Thibodaux, 5-4 in 10 innings and 19-4 in seven innings, to claim the Green and Gold’s first regular season Southland Conference championship since 2015. 

The Colonels defeated the Lions 13-0 on Thursday in seven innings prior to Friday’s contest being turned into a Saturday doubleheader due to rain. 

SLU finishes its SLC campaign tied with conference newcomers UTRGV, with both teams posting 22-8 marks in league play.

While the Vaqueros can claim a share of the Southland crown, the Lions vanquished them in 2/3 games last month in Hammond, America, and will subsequently earn the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament. 

During game two of the Nicholls series and the first meeting of Saturday’s doubleheader, Southeastern took a 4-2 lead in the top of the fifth inning following senior shortstop TJ Salvaggio’s two-run homer, his second of the contest. 

The Colonels managed to score runs in the seventh and ninth frames to force extra innings. 

Senior catcher Conner O’Neal continued his impressive season, launching a solo shot in the top of the tenth, ultimately giving the Lions a 5-4 win over their conference rivals. 

Freshman right-handed pitcher Truitt Webb earned the win for Southeastern on the hill, surrendering zero runs on just one lone hit, and recording three strikeouts in 1.2 innings of work. 

Needing to win again in order to be crowned regular-season Southland Conference champions, SLU did just that, run-ruling Nicholls 19-4 in seven innings behind an offensive explosion. 

Six Lion batters delivered multi-hit outings, including Dane Watts (4), Logan Walters (3), Salvaggio (2), Bailyn Sorenson (2), Peyton Woods (2) and Parker Coley (2). 

Watts, a junior center fielder and St. Thomas Aquinas product from Hammond, went 4-for-4 at the plate, scoring two runs. 

Walters, a redshirt senior left fielder out of Petal, Mississippi, was 3-for-4 with a game-high five RBIs. 

The Jacksonville State transfer and former 2022 NJCAA DII national champion at Pearl River Community College hit a pair of doubles, one single, and was hit by a pitch, all of which produced runs for the Lions. 

SLU led Nicholls 12-0 through four, ultimately cruising to a game-shortened 15-run victory in seven innings of play.

Junior starting pitcher Blake Lobell, who attended Springfield High, was credited with the win on the bump, improving his record to 7-1 for the year. 

The LSU Eunice transfer and 2024 NJCAA DII Pitcher of the Year tossed 6.0 innings for Southeastern, allowing two runs on five hits. 

The Lions will now prepare to host the Southland Conference Tournament, Hammond Bracket, presented by GeoSurfaces (May 15–18), which follows a double-elimination NCAA Regionals-style format. 

Top-seeded SLU will face off against eighth-seeded UNO (25-24, 12-18 SLC) on Thursday evening. 

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field between the Lions and Privateers. 

The two other Hammond Bracket participants also hail from Louisiana – fourth-seeded Northwestern State (33-19, 19-11 SLC) and fifth-seeded McNeese (31-15, 19-11 SLC). 

The Demons and Cowboys will open bracket play at 1 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. 

The final remaining team in Hammond will advance to the Southland Conference Tournament Championship Series (May 22-24), with the higher-seeded side of the two finalists earning the right to host. 

As always, the SLC Tournament champion will be granted an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, which begins on Friday, May 30 at the end of the month.

Southeastern last won the conference tourney in 2022 and will look to repeat the feat in year two under head coach Bobby Barbier. 

For further coverage on Lions baseball, stay tuned to The Lion’s Roar.