COLLEGE BASEBALL | Riser, Southeastern agree to contract extension

HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University head baseball coach Matt Riser has agreed to a contract extension through the 2025 season, SLU Director of Athletics Jay Artigues announced Friday.

The extension is pending approval of the University of Louisiana System’s Board of Supervisors.

“I’m really excited about getting this contract done,” Artigues said. “Matt has done a tremendous job leading our program. Four regionals in the last eight years speaks for itself. He’s not only a tremendous coach, but he’s also a tremendous role model for our student-athletes. I look forward to Coach Riser leading our program for years to come.”

Riser is set to embark on his 10th season at the helm next month, ranking second on the baseball program’s all-time coaching victories list with a career record of 295-199, including a 162-84 mark (.659 winning percentage) in Southland Conference contests.

Riser, native of Picayune, Miss., guided the Lions during a 2022 season that saw Southeastern battle through numerous injuries to defeat No. 1-ranked, and eventual national champion, Ole Miss and No. 3-ranked Arkansas before grinding their way to the Southland Conference Tournament title and a trip to the NCAA postseason.

“I’m extremely grateful to our administration and Dr. Crain,” Riser said. “We’ve put down roots here and love Hammond, America. This program has accomplished a lot of great things over the last decade and we look forward to the next decade here, trying to raise the bar.”

Southeastern’s appearance in the Auburn Regional was the fourth postseason trip for the Lions during the Riser era, the most for any active head coach in the Southland.

Over the past nine seasons, SLU has generated 18 MLB Draft picks, 13 All-Americans, 52 All-Conference selections and placed 234 baseball student-athletes on the Southland Conference Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll, the most of any conference institution.

During the course of the extension, the Lions will move into a new team clubhouse and office facility down the left-field line at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field and will be preparing for the addition of a new state-of-the-art sports medicine facility.

“There are some fantastic things we’ve done here with facilities and the commitments we’ve made,” Riser said. “When we first got here, we made this into a premier job and we want to build on that, making it one of the most coveted jobs in the country with what the University and Hammond, America have to offer, the student-athletes we have the opportunity to coach and what the state of Louisiana brings to the table for us from a mentality standpoint. You couldn’t ask for a better place to raise a family.”