BATON ROUGE — Seventh-ranked LSU (29-10, 8-7) returns to SEC action this weekend as the Tigers travel to Knoxville to face No. 10 Tennessee (30-9, 9-6) in a three-game SEC series at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
First pitch for Game 1 of the LSU-Tennessee series is 6 p.m. CDT Friday, Game 2 is set for 6 p.m. CDT Saturday and Game 3 will be played at 1 p.m. CDT 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.
Saturday’s game will be televised by Cox Sports Television (Cable Ch. 37 in Baton Rouge), and Sunday’s game will be televised by Jumbo Sports Network (Cable Ch. 13 in Baton Rouge). There is no live television coverage of the game on Friday.
LSU trails first-place Ole Miss (11-4) by three games in the SEC Western Division standings with 15 games remaining in the conference regular season.
Tennessee represents the fourth Top 25 team LSU will face this season in a three-game road series. The Tigers have posted series victories this season at No. 9 South Carolina, at No. 11 Auburn and at No. 23 Central Florida.
The Tigers won two of three games versus Georgia last weekend in Baton Rouge, as LSU has captured six of its last seven SEC series over the past two seasons.
Tennessee is in first place in the SEC Eastern Division, leading Florida (8-7) by one game. The Volunteers were swept last weekend by Ole Miss in Oxford.
LSU began this week with a 21-10 victory at Southern University, the Tigers’ fifth win in their last six outings.
Tennessee posted a 10-1 win over Tennessee Tech Wednesday night in Cookeville, Tenn.
LSU coach Smoke Laval will send sophomore left-hander Jason Determann (2-2, 2.56 ERA) to the mound Friday, while Tennessee coach Rod Delmonico will counter with senior lefty Derek Tharpe (6-0, 2.05 ERA), the SEC strikeout leader with 77.
Determann made just his first career start last Friday in an SEC regular-season game, and he responded with an excellent outing against Georgia. Determann, who took the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) the next morning, worked 8.1 innings, limiting Georgia to five runs on eight hits with one walk and five strikeouts. The Tigers won the game in 10 innings, 6-5. Determann, a biological sciences major, expects to receive his MCAT results in 6-8 weeks.
LSU’s 21-10 win over Southern Tuesday marked the Tigers’ highest run output since May 6, 2003, when they defeated Loyola-New Orleans, 21-6, in Alex Box Stadium. Center fielder J.C. Holt collected his 200th career hit with a first-inning single against the Jaguars. Holt, who later added another single, has a .348 (201-for-578) career batting average in three seasons at LSU.
Designated hitter Nick Stavinoha was 3-for-5 at the plate Tuesday with two doubles, one triple and five RBI, as he established career highs for hits and RBI.
Shortstop Derek Hebert recorded career bests for hits and runs scored Tuesday as he singled and scored in four consecutive innings.
Left fielder Ryan Patterson extended his hitting streak to 11 games Tuesday, as he was 3-for-4 with a homer and five RBI, tying his career high. Patterson has homered three times in the last four games, increasing his season total to eight, which is second on the club. Patterson has also collected 14 RBI in his last five games, increasing his total to a team-best 45.
LSU leads the all-time series with Tennessee, 36-10, and the Tigers have won the last five meetings between the schools. LSU won the final two games of the 2002 series in Knoxville, and the Tigers posted a three-game sweep over the Volunteers last season in Baton Rouge.
LSU holds a 10-8 edge over Tennessee in games played at Knoxville, though UT has won three of the five series played there since 1991.
Laval is 5-1 versus Tennessee during his three-year LSU career, while Delmonico is 8-26 against LSU during his 15 seasons at UT.
SERIES FACTS
#7 LSU Fighting Tigers (29-10, 8-7) at #10 Tennessee Volunteers (30-9, 9-6)
DATES/TIMES: April 23 – 6 p.m. CDT; April 24 – 6 p.m. CDT; April 25 – 1 p.m. CDT
STADIUM: Lindsey Nelson Stadium (4,000)
RANKINGS: LSU (#7 Baseball America, #8 ESPN/Sports Weekly, #8 Collegiate Baseball); Tennessee (#10 Collegiate Baseball, #15 ESPN/Sports Weekly, #21 Baseball America)
RADIO: statewide on LSU Sports Network (WDGL-FM 98.1 in Baton Rouge)
INTERNET: www.LSUsports.net
TV: No TV on Friday; Saturday’s game will be telecast live by Cox Sports Television (Cable Ch. 37 in Baton Rouge); Sunday’s game will be telecast live by Jumbo Sports Network (Cable Ch. 13 in Baton Rouge)
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU – So. LHP Jason Determann (2-2, 3.15 ERA, 40.0 IP, 5 BB, 27 SO)
UT – Sr. LHP Derek Tharpe (6-0, 2.05 ERA, 70.1 IP, 17 BB, 77 SO)
Game 2
LSU – Fr. LHP Clay Dirks (7-0, 2.43 ERA, 59.1 IP, 10 BB, 54 SO)
UT – Fr. RHP Sean Watson (4-1, 2.52 ERA, 53.2 IP, 33 BB, 36 SO)
Game 3
LSU – TBA
UT – Sr. LHP Ben Riley (3-2, 3.96 ERA, 50.0 IP, 30 BB, 42 SO)