BATON ROUGE, La. — Seventh-ranked LSU concludes its five-game homestand at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday as the Tigers play host to Nicholls State in Alex Box Stadium.
The game can be heard on the LSU Sports Radio Network, including flagship WDGL-FM 98.1 in Baton Rouge. The radio broadcast and live stats may be also be accessed at www.LSUsports.net.
LSU (24-9) enters Tuesday’s game on a four-game losing skid, including a three-game SEC sweep at the hands of Arkansas last weekend in Alex Box Stadium.
The Nicholls State contest is the first of two non-conference games this week for LSU. The Tigers face Southeastern Louisiana at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Zephyr Field in Metairie, La., in the first Wally Pontiff Jr. Baseball Classic.
The Tigers have a 6-6 SEC record and trail Ole Miss and Arkansas by two games in the Western Division standings. LSU resumes conference play this weekend when the Tigers play host to Georgia in a three-game series.
Nicholls State (12-21) has a 2-10 Southland Conference record after dropping two of three games to Texas-Arlington last weekend.
LSU coach Smoke Laval will send sophomore left-hander Justin Meier (4-2, 3.35 ERA) to the mound Tuesday. Meier seeks to rebound from a difficult outing versus Arkansas last Friday, as he surrendered seven runs (three earned) on six hits in 1.1 innings with one walk and no strikeouts.
Despite the series loss last weekend, LSU hit .361 (43-for-119) as a team against Arkansas series with eight doubles and four homers. The Tigers’ cumulative batting average increased over the weekend from .327 to .331.
Catcher Matt Liuzza was extremely productive at the plate, batting .500 (7-for-14) in the series with one double, one homer, six RBI and two runs.
Right fielder Jon Zeringue hit .462 (6-for-13) with two homers, four RBI and three runs. Zeringue is LSU’s leading hitter in SEC games, batting .391 (18-for-46) with one double, six homers, 13 RBI and 15 runs.
LSU leads the all-time series with Nicholls State, 37-21, including a 6-2 victory over the Colonels last season in Alex Box Stadium.
Laval has a 22-6 mark against NSU in his 10-year collegiate coaching career, while Colonels coach B.D. Parker has a 0-2 record versus LSU.
The Tigers enter the Nicholls State game Tuesday with an 8-1 mark this season against Louisiana schools. LSU has won 11 of its last 12 games versus its in-state foes over the last two seasons.
LSU has a 36-9 (.800) record against Louisiana schools during Laval’s three-year tenure as head coach.
GAME FACTS
Nicholls State (12-21) at #7 LSU (24-9)
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, April 13 – 6:30 p.m.
STADIUM: Alex Box Stadium – Baton Rouge, La. (7,760)
RANKINGS: LSU (#7 Baseball America, #9 ESPN/Sports Weekly, #12 Collegiate
Baseball); Nicholls State (unranked)
TICKETS: Available at www.LSUsports.net or at Alex Box Stadium ticket window two hours prior to first pitch
RADIO: LSU Sports Network, including flagship WDGL-FM 98.1 in Baton Rouge
INTERNET: www.LSUsports.net
TV: None
PITCHING MATCHUP
LSU – So. RHP Justin Meier (4-2, 3.35 ERA, 53.2 IP, 17 BB, 42 SO)
NSU – Jr. RHP Mark Fernandez (2-1, 6.15 ERA, 41.0 IP, 23 BB, 46 SO)