BATON ROUGE, La. — Top-ranked LSU (19-3, 2-1) plays its first SEC home series this weekend as the Tigers entertain No. 24 Mississippi State (13-6, 1-2) in Alex Box Stadium.
First pitch for Game 1 of the LSU-MSU series is 6:30 p.m. Friday, Game 2 is set for 2 p.m. Saturday and Game 3 will be played at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The games can be heard statewide on the LSU Sports Network (WDGL-FM 98.1 in Baton Rouge). All three games can also be heard on the internet at www.LSUsports.net.
None of the games this weekend will be televised.
LSU, ranked No. 1 for the fifth straight week by Collegiate Baseball magazine, has won eight of its last nine games, including a 9-3 victory at Centenary on Tuesday night. The Tigers opened SEC play last weeked by winning two of three games at fourth-ranked South Carolina.
Mississippi State has lost four of its last five games, including non-conference defeats this week to Birmingham-Southern (1-10) and Samford (0-6). The Bulldogs dropped two of three games last weekend to Tennessee in their opening SEC series in Starkville.
LSU left fielder Ryan Patterson extended his current hitting streak Tuesday to six games with a two-run homer, his first home run since Feb. 27 versus Texas State.
Center fielder J.C. Holt enjoyed another superb night at the plate, as he was 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI, three runs and one stolen base. Holt leads the Tigers with a sparkling .440 batting average, and he ranks first on the club in hits (40), runs (29) and steals (six).
LSU pounded out 12 hits in Tuesday’s victory, marking the 13th straight game in which the Tigers recorded double-figures in the hits column. The last time LSU failed to collect at least 10 hits came in a six-hit effort (2-1 win) on Feb. 28 against Texas State.
LSU coach Smoke Laval will send sophomore right-hander Justin Meier (4-0, 2.11 ERA) to the mound Friday, while Mississippi State coach Ron Polk will counter with sophomore right-hander Jamie Gant (2-2, 2.59 ERA).
Meier pitched very effectively last Friday at South Carolina, limiting the potent Gamecocks to three runs on seven hits in 8.1 innings with three walks and a career-high eight strikeouts.
Meier pitched five innings in a start against the Bulldogs last season, allowing one run on five hits with five walks and one strikeout. He was not involved in the decision of a 4-2 MSU victory.
Mississippi State leads the all-time series with LSU, 187-152-1, as the teams first met in 1905. The teams have split their 14 meetings this decade, though LSU enters Friday’s game riding a three-game win streak in the series. The Bulldogs won Games 1 and 2 of the 2003 regular- season series in Starkville; however, LSU won Game 3 and then defeated MSU twice in the ’03 SEC Tournament at Hoover, Ala.
LSU has not posted a series victory over Mississippi State in Baton Rouge since the 1998 season. MSU won two of three games at Alex Box Stadium in 2000, and the teams split two games in Baton Rouge in 2002 (Game 3 of the series was rained out).
Laval has a 4-3 mark against Mississippi State during his three seasons as LSU’s coach. Polk, who is in his 25th season as the Bulldogs’ coach, has a 64-49 all-time mark against the Tigers.
SERIES FACTS
#24 Mississippi State Bulldogs (13-6, 1-2) at #1 LSU Fighting Tigers (19-3, 2-1)
DATES/TIMES: March 26 – 6:30 p.m.; March 27 – 2 p.m.; March 28 – 1 p.m.
STADIUM: Alex Box Stadium (7,760)
RANKINGS: LSU (#1 Collegiate Baseball, #3 Baseball America, #3 ESPN/Sports Weekly) Miss. State (#24 Collegiate Baseball, #25 ESPN/Sports Weekly)
RADIO: statewide on LSU Sports Network (WDGL-FM 98.1 in Baton Rouge)
INTERNET: www.LSUsports.net
TV: None
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU – So. RHP Justin Meier (4-0, 2.11 ERA, 42.2 IP, 11 BB, 29 SO)
MSU – So. RHP Jamie Gant (2-2, 2.59 ERA, 24.1 IP, 7 BB, 21 SO)
Game 2
LSU – Jr. LHP Lane Mestepey (3-1, 3.41 ERA, 31.2 IP, 12 BB, 17 SO) OR Fr. LHP Clay Dirks (4-0, 1.48 ERA, 30.1 IP, 7 BB, 30 SO)
MSU – Sr. RHP Jeff Lacher (2-2, 3.86 ERA, 23.1 IP, 5 BB, 19 SO)
Game 3
LSU – Sr. RHP Nate Bumstead (3-0, 4.70 ERA, 23.0 IP, 9 BB, 17 SO)
MSU – Sr. RHP Alan Johnson (0-0, 2.65 ERA, 17.0 IP, 4 BB, 11 SO)