HAMMOND, La. — LSU (15-11), which has lost five of its last six outings, looks to conclude its five-game road trip on a positive note when it visits Southeastern Louisiana (13-11) Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at Alumni Field.
The game will be broadcast by the full LSU Sports Network (WDGL-98.1 FM) and on the Internet at www.lsusports.net.
LSU enters the game after falling out of the Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball polls, as the Tigers were rated 14th in both surveys last week. The Tigers find themselves out of both of those polls since they were 29-17 on April 26, 1999. LSU will likely fall out of the third poll, the ESPN/Baseball Weekly coaches poll, when it is released later on Monday.
The Tigers lost two of three this past weekend at Ole Miss, including a tough 10-7 decision on Sunday in which the Rebels scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Rebels won Friday’s series opener, 9-3, with LSU taking Saturday’s game, 6-5. LSU is 2-4 in Southeastern Conference play for the first time since 1984, and is tied for last place in the SEC West division with Arkansas and Ole Miss.
LSU will start true freshman right-hander Clay Harris (1-0, 4.96) on the mound. Harris, who has been the Tigers’ starting first baseman for the past eight games, has not appeared on the mound since he started on March 5 against Tulane, when he struck out eight and gave up five runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings
SLU dropped two of three this past weekend against Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Texas, to drop to 3-3 in Southland Conference play. Like LSU, the Lions will start a true freshman pitcher in right-hander Paul Labiche (0-0, 4.91), a 2001 New York Mets draftee who has pitched in only 3 2/3 innings this season.
The Lions enter the game looking for their first season sweep of LSU since 1969, as SLU took the first meeting between the teams with a 4-3 victory on February 12 at Alex Box Stadium. The win broke a 16-game winning streak by LSU in the series. The Tigers still enter with a six-game winning streak in games played at Hammond, as SLU’s last win on its home field was an 8-7 triumph in 1988.
The Tigers have struggled this year against in-state opponents this year, posting just a 4-4 mark against Louisiana foes. Three of those four victories came in a weekend series against Louisiana-Monroe earlier this month, leaving LSU 1-4 in midweek games. The lone midweek win for the Tigers was a 7-6 triumph on February 20 at Centenary.
LSU resumes Southeastern Conference play on Friday at 6:30 p.m. when the Tigers host Mississippi State in the opening game of a three-game series at Alex Box Stadium.