METAIRIE, La. — Coming off of a three-game sweep at Georgia that propelled LSU into the Southeastern Conference lead, the Fighting Tigers take a break from conference action when they travel to Zephyr Field for a 6:35 p.m. contest on Tuesday with the University of New Orleans in the first of two meetings this season with the Privateers.
The game will be televised live throughout Louisiana and other parts of the Gulf South by Cox Sports Television (cable channel 38 in Baton Rouge, cable channel 37 in New Orleans), the first of five baseball games as part of the new partnership between LSU and Cox Sports TV signed in February.
As will be the case with all baseball games for the remainder of the 2003 season, the radio broadcast of the contest will be heard on the full LSU Sports Network (WDGL-98.1 FM in Baton Rouge, WWL-870 AM in New Orleans). Live audio and live statistics will be available on the Internet at www.lsusports.net.
LSU (16-7-1, 5-0-1 SEC) completed its first road sweep in two seasons this past weekend in Athens, winning by scores of 12-5, 13-6 and 3-2. The Tigers took over sole possession of first place in the league for the first time since May of 2001, but their lead is one-half a game over Auburn, Ole Miss and Mississippi St., who are all 5-1 in SEC play. LSU is undefeated in its last six contests, all SEC games, and is 10-1-1 since starting the season at 6-6.
The Tigers (No. 12 Collegiate Baseball, No. 13 Baseball America, No. 18 ESPN/USA Today) will start the pitcher who has taken the hill for their previous four midweek contests, freshman right-hander Justin Meier (3-0, 1.21). Meier has not pitched since throwing 1 2/3 innings of relief on March 16 against Florida, and he last started two weeks ago in the Tigers’ contest with Tulane at Zephyr Field, giving up three unearned runs in 5 2/3 innings.
LSU has been hot at the plate in SEC play, batting .360 in six league games to raise its season batting average by 20 points to .307. Junior shortstop Aaron Hill enters the UNO game on a 12-game hitting streak, batting .457 (21-for-46) during the streak to raise his season average by 105 points to .373, the Tigers’ top mark. Hill also leads the Tigers in seven other offensive categories, including RBI (21) and on-base percentage (.514).
Four other hitters are batting .300 or better in the LSU lineup: sophomore outfielder Bruce Sporwl (.341), junior third baseman Ivan Naccarata (.337), sophomore designated hitter Quinn Stewart (.310) and sophomore outfielder Ryan Patterson (.310). Patterson also leads the team in home runs (5) and slugging percentage (.592).
UNO (14-12, 0-3 Sun Belt Conference) dropped two one-run contests in a three-game sweep at the hands of Arkansas State at Jonesboro in the Privateers’ first Sun Belt Conference series. The Privateers have lost six of their last nine contests following an eight-game winning streak. UNO is 0-2 this season vs. SEC opponents, dropping a pair of midweek contests at home to Mississippi St.
UNO coach Randy Bush will send senior left-hander Brandon Kling (2-4, 4.62) to the mound opposite Meier. Kling, a Baton Rouge native who played at Catholic High, took the loss after going 6 1/3 innings in last year’s contest against LSU at Zephyr Field.
Sophomore outfielder Joe Pietro, a transfer from Creighton, enters Tuesday’s game as UNO’s leading hitter at .396. The Privateers’ top run producers are senior first baseman Gabe Trevizo and senior outfielder Brad Domreis, both of whom have hit a team leading five home runs this season, while Trevizo leads the Privateers with 24 RBI.
UNO will be looking to break a 10-game losing streak to the Tigers, as well as its first win in the series at Zephyr Field, as LSU has won all five meetings at the Triple-A ballpark, including a 13-0 triumph last year. The Tigers also won the meeting in Baton Rouge, 8-1, and have not lost in the series since a two-game sweep by the Privateers in 1997.
The teams will complete the home-and-home series on April 30 at Alex Box Stadium.
LSU plays its first SEC West division foe this weekend when it travels to Alabama for a three-game series. Friday’s opener is set for 6:30 p.m., followed by games at 4 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.