The chance to make an immediate difference helped New Iberia Senior High third baseman and pitcher Stefan Lopez decide that Southeastern Louisiana University is the place for him to continue his baseball career.

Lopez decided over the weekend to sign with SLU, committing to ink a national letter of intent during the early signing period in November. Coaches at SLU told him he’d have a chance to pitch and play third base for the Lions.

“I’m expecting to keep my grades up,” said Lopez, who is academically qualified to play as a freshman. “I expect to go over and make a difference right away (on the baseball field). They want to start building the team around people they’re bringing in and the good players they have right now. It was a good program last year.”

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NISH head baseball coach Kyle Seibold said it’s obvious Lopez has what it takes to play college ball.

Lopez was named the Most Valuable Player in District 3-5A and on The Daily Iberian’s Best of the Teche Baseball Team in the spring after batting .420 with 21 extra-base hits and a team-high 36 RBIs. He struck out 87 batters and walked 26 in 611⁄3 innings for the Yellow Jackets, who won their first district championship in nearly two decades.

“I don’t think there was ever any doubt he has the skills to be a college baseball player, and the motivation to be a college baseball player,” said Seibold. “He works hard to improve all the time. Stefan’s biggest critic is himself. He’s so hard on himself.”

Lopez said that he liked the coaches and campus, and was offered nearly a full scholarship by the Lions. Division I baseball programs have 11.78 baseball scholarships to divide among all players on the team.

“It’s nicer than people expect it to be,” said Lopez of the visit to the school’s Hammond campus.

Seibold said the main adjustment Lopez will have to make, like any freshman going to a college baseball program, will be learning the college’s way of doing things.

“As close of a system as we have to what a lot of colleges do, it’s still not a college system,” said Seibold. “The biggest adjustment a lot of kids have to make is to the system.”

Lopez said he plans to study biology at Southeastern Louisiana.